GLIDING CLUBS

by

GODFREY HARWOOD

BRITISH GLIDING ASSOCIATION

SEVEN SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE

GLIDING CLUBS

THEIR FORMATION,

CONSTITUTION AND

MANAGEMENT

BY

.1. E. G. HARWOOD, M.A. (Oxon)

(formerly Hon. Treasurer of the Surrey Gliding Club)

Published by

BRITISH GLIDING ASSOCIATION Londonderry House, 19 Park Lane, London, W.6. and Printed by Langham, Herald Press, FarnUam

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL STABILITY

Chapter 2 PREPARATIONS FOR STARTING A CLUB Section 1 The Founder Group Section 2 The Constitution Section 3 Administrative Considerations Section 4 Operational Proposals

Chapter 3 BRINGING A CLUB INTO BEINGSection 1 Preliminary Meetings Section 2 The Inaugural Meeting

Chapter 4 COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES

Chapter 5 THE CHAIRMAN'S RESPONSIBILITIES

Chapter 6 THE SECRETARY AND His DUTIES

Chapter 1 THE TREASURER'S TASKS

Chapter 8 THE CHIEF FLYING INSTRUCTOR AND THE GROUND ENGINEER

Chapter 9 THE ECONOMICS OF GLIDER OPERATION Section 1 Budgeting Section 2 Costing

Appendix SPECIMEN FORMS AND HEADINGS FOB CLUB RECORDS

Acknowledgements are due to B. A. G. Meads, Esq., M.B.E.

for his helpful advice and suggestions.

(ii)

INTRODUCTIONr>Y dictionary definition 'club' is a word of Scandinavian *-* origin; and it is not clear how from its primary meaning, a wooden cudgel or bludgeon, there came about the secondary meaning in which we are interested. An allied Scandinavian word, however, is 'clump', and this denotes not only a cluster of trees or shrub's but also a close body of persons or things. When, therefore, a group or cluster of persons agrees to meet together for certain purposes and on certain conditions, sharing any expenses incurred, wre have a club.

The history of clubs or societies goes back to dim antiquity. The Persian Magi, the Egyptian Priests, the Socratic circle; also in the Middle Ages the Guilds of craftsmen and traders, all these could be classified under the general heading of clubs. One may say that whenever a fewr people find that they share a common interest, and perceive that by their mutual efforts they can promote benefits for themselves, there is sure to be one person among them who, giving voice to a natural inborn instinct, will utter the magic phrase,"Let's form a Club". Thus will he, or she, drop a spark into the tinder of interest which, kindled by enthus­ iasm, may have results far-reaching and undreamed of.

In England the multiplicity of clubs in the latter half of the 19th Century caused Parliament concern. Measures were enacted for the purpose of giving some control, more especially to prevent the carrying on of clubs of an undesirable character, such as those formed for the purpose of gaming or for getting round the licensing laws. Although it is true that a 'members' club' may be formed with very little formality and is legally a private associ­ ation, it will be found that its scope is very limited unless it is prepared to comply with the provisions of one of the Acts dealing with Companies or Societies.

When, therefore, a group of gliding enthusiasts is fired with the desire to form a club it is very advisable to set about it in a regular manner, and to adopt procedures which will enable it to comply with the spirit as well as the letter of the Law. Furthermore, as no one \vould seriously undertake to form a club or society with the intention that it should have only an ephemeral existence, it is necessary to plan wisely and prudently the constitution of the club so that it shall, once started, con­ tinue on a firm basis, and especially without such dependence on support from one quarter only as would render it vulnerable at a later date.

In the history of British gliding there have been, unfortun­ ately, several cases of clubs which have been formed on an unsure foundation, or under unsuitable conditions. These have, like mushrooms, sprung into a brief existence only to wither away.

The purpose of this volume, therefore, is to propound and explain some cardinal precepts in the formation and operation of a gliding club, and to warn those wishing to form such a club of some of the pitfalls that exist to trap the unwary.

Chapter 1

THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL STABILITY

TT may seem nothing more than a truism to state that without * sound finance a club is surely headed for trouble. A pyramid is stable if firmly resting on its base, but liable to totter if an attempt is made to balance it on its apex. We can take this simile as pointing the necessity of basing the club's financial structure on the aggregate of combined support from members rather than the bounty of one financial backer.

It may not be generally realised what a great deal of initial Capital is required to start even a small gliding club. It is true that voluntary work can to some extent take the place of money, but the time factor is then increased. Many clubs have succeeded from very small beginnings; but the present great increase in the number of persons interested in learning to glide does not permit of lengthy delays and excessively humble beginnings. Conversely, it is essential to avoid entering upon too ambitious a scheme with undue haste. There must be strength in all aspects to establish a club to stand firm through the bad seasons as well as the good.

Capital may be sought from various sources, and may be made available in various ways. The unrealisable ideal would be for every person interested in forming a gliding club in a par­ ticular locality to be a man of means willing to subscribe on equal terms with the rest to provide all the necessary equipment. The truth, of course, is that gliding fascinates the poor man no less than the rich, and in a Democracy it is logical that means should if possible be found whereby the poor man is not entirely debarred from participation in every kind of sport.

It is on these grounds that in a number of countries the sport of gliding is openly and extensively subsidised by Govern­ mental grants. In England we are not too keen on 'subsidies', and since the war civilian gliding clubs have managed without them quite successfully. It might be thought that the Petrol Tax Rebate is a subsidy, but the method of operation makes it in fact a refund of Tax already paid some time previously, which is not quite the same thing.

The activities of the Air Training Corps, on the other hand, are a true instance of direct Governmental help. The purpose, however, is not specifically to encourage the Sport of Gliding, but to promote air-mindedness and provide a pool of potential recruits for the Royal Air Force. As such, therefore, it would be incorrect to call it a 'subsidy'. It has, however, had one side effect which is important. The very cheap rates at which gliding could be provided under Government sponsorship have become widely known, and have generated a strong impression that gliding is not expensive. This impression has not even yet been fully corrected.

2

We must realise the alternatives that are open in considering the Capital structure for a club. There may exist a wealthy 'fairy godfather', or perhaps a partnership or group of well- disposed men of means. If the club is so organised as to be dependent on such a source for money, then what is to happen if the supply dries up ? Also, is the source of the finance likely to become the 'man who pays the piper' ?

It is not necessary to refuse help of this nature generously and perhaps spontaneously offered, but it is important to ensure that the club's individuality is not affected. Perhaps the best way to handle such a situation is to arrange for all donations to fce in the form of 'loan' Capital repayable on stated terms over a period of years. 'Friendly' Capital of this nature is not likely to require onerous or exorbitant rates of interest and amortis­ ation, but nevertheless is more likely to be available on the first and any subsequent occasion if it is seen that the financial affairs of the club are being handled in a proper businesslike manner.

It is evident, too, that in the early stages of a club's life it can hardly offer any security to guarantee the repayment of loans. If the club can buy its site it can of course give security by way of mortgage, but a Debenture or floating charge on the assets of a club is not worth a great deal until the assets are of some value. If aircraft are charged as a guarantee of repayment then it is obvious that they will have to be kept fully insured, as otherwise the 'asset' may suddenly and unluckily become an almost worth­ less pile of plywood and canvas wreckage.

Another method of raising Capital is by selling life member­ ships, or asking for several years' subscriptions in advance. Clearly this gambit must be played with caution, as it decreases the annual revenue, and it is inadvisable for the number of life members to exceed ten per cent of the total membership. In this case again the security offered in return for the cash payment is extremely weak, and only justifiable if the club is to be organised in ways that can be seen to be sensible and likely to succeed.

Some clubs make it a condition of membership that an appli­ cant for admission shall take up a certain number of shares or debentures. This may be useful, provided it is remembered that a private Limited Liability Company may not have more than fifty shareholders as members. It is, in fact, probably a mistake to allow too many members to join in the first year because of limited equipment and experienced instructors. A first entry of 50 should be the maximum to ensure the best and continued attention to those under training.

In whatever manner the Capital is raised it must be realised that the cardinal principle is that the club must earn money to pay off the loan or redeem the Debentures. This it can only do by so budgeting that there is a surplus every year of revenue over expenditure. In the ordinary gliding club the principal source of revenue is the fees charged for flying, and these must be so adjusted as to cover not only the 'direct' costs of flying but also the hidden indirect costs normally referred to as 'overheads'.

One of the dangers to which British Gliding Clubs are especially susceptible is the weather. Owing to the well known vagaries of the British climate the principal source of revenue is also the most vulnerable. It is therefore important that the club shall be so organised, and that all members shall be fully aware of the necessity, that every moment of favourable flying weather shall be utilised for flying.

It is also important to bear in mind the possibility of intro­ ducing secondary sources of revenue. If suitable amenities can be provided then the terms of associate membership may prove attractive to quite a large number of people who, while visiting a gliding site, will almost certainly find themselves in need of refreshment of one kind or another. In early spring or late autumn, not to mention the winter, the possibility of obtaining warm food and a hot drink or possibility of obtaining alcoholic refreshment will encourage associate members to support the club in an active manner.

Even a small Kiosk selling chocolate bars and bottles of orange squash, for instance, and just as important picture postcards of gliders, and gliding literature, will not only prove profitable but will encourage new members to join. It should,, however, not be overlooked that great care must be exercised over selling anything to non-members. So long as members trade amongst themselves any profits are deemed to belong to the members jointly and are not taxable; but sales to the general public are a different matter, and any profits made are liable to- Income Tax. It is as well, therefore, that any sales to non- members should be recorded separately, and the Club's Account­ ant should be kept fully in the picture. Donations, on the other hand, are unlikely to attract Tax, and an example may be quoted of one club which collects several hundreds of pounds annually in sixpences freely given by members of the public.

Apart from money-raising activities on the actual gliding site the immense possibilities of producing revenue from extran­ eous sources, such as social events, should be emphasised. Prize draws, sweepstakes, or raffles, so organised as to be legally per­ missible, have been known to raise considerable sums each year; while whist drives or dances can frequently be organised to show a profit.

Chapter 2

PREPARATIONS FOR STARTING A CLUB

Section 1 — The Founder GroupA CLUB does not form itself; it is brought into being by the

** combined effort of an initial small group of enthusiasts, who must take upon themselves the task of preparing the way for the club's inauguration.

This group needs to be not only enthusiastic, but also level­ headed and prepared for a great deal of hard work and unselfish devotion to the common cause. These noble few must have many informal discussions about the pros and cons of the numerous facets of starting a gliding club, in order to settle in their own minds the general lines of policy. There is so much to do in the preliminary stages, in order to get a gliding club well estab­ lished, that this 'founder group' must be ready and willing to devote almost all the spare time it has to the work, with little hope of reward save the knowledge that by laying the secure foundation its members are ensuring the soundness of the struc­ ture built thereon.

Ideally, the group should include at least one experienced glider pilot, competent and willing to instruct, if instruction is required, or to supervise flying discipline if the club is to consist of those who are already glider pilots. The British Gliding Association should be consulted right from the outset, as in the interests of safety a categorised instructor must be available for training purposes.

The other members of the group should comprise a man, or woman, with reasonable knowledge of book-keeping. It is ob- A-iously even better if there is a qualified Accountant in the group. A good man to rope in is an estate agent with knowledge of local property, while a man with a seat on the local Council could be very useful. Other desirable people are a business man with good Press contacts, or a local newspaper man, and espec­ ially the proprietor of a garage with good workshops. The main quality which all these should possess is keenness.

The first thing that the founder group members must ask themselves, and be quite sure about, is the need for the club, and the amount of constant support that it can expect to receive in the locality. No club can succeed if it has too high a pro­ portion of will-o'-the-wisp members, and the club affairs must be conducted on a sound financial basis. It is, or should ber obvious that members will not continue to pay subscriptions to a club year after year unless the club continues to provide the members with the facilities for which their subscriptions are deemed to be the payment. Inherent in the idea of a club is an implicit contract with, the members that in return for subscrip­ tions paid there will be services rendered.

The financial support of the members, however, in raising initial Capital and in paying annual subscriptions, is not the only form of support of which a gliding club stands constantly in need. The founder group should make quite sure that in addition to those potential members who are mainly interested in actual flying there will be a hard core of members willing and able to give time and effort to carry out the many various tasks that will arise in the running of the club after its formation.

Section 2 — The ConstitutionWhen this founder group of enthusiasts has made the

decision to form a club one of the first considerations that has to be debated is what kind of club it should be. There are two classifications of Clubs, namely Members' Clubs and Proprietory Clubs. For a full explanation of the differences between them recourse should be had to a Solicitor, but much information may be obtained from a book published by Jordan & Sons Limited, entitled 'Reminders for Club Secretaries and Treasurers'. A brief description of some of the differences can be given here.

In the case of Members' Clubs all the members have a joint interest in the assets of the club and have complete control over them; in the case of Proprietory Clubs the assets are owned by the proprietor who permits the club members to make use of them upon agreed terms. The difference is very important, because prima facie a proprietory club which makes a profit is achieving this for the benefit of the proprietor and is thus liable to taxation. In the case of a members' club, however, the financial profit is achieved by mutual trading for the general benefit of the members, and is not taxable.

Conversely, the liability of the members, in the unfortunate event of losses being made by a members' club, is not limited, whereas the proprietor of a proprietory club must bear any losses himself. Furthermore, in a members' club it is not merely a liability jointly on all the members to settle unpaid bills or to meet losses, but, should all the other members default in paying their share of such losses, the responsibility might even devolve upon one member alone.

The proprietor might perhaps be a philanthropic millionaire desiring to encourage gliding for its own sake, and willing to meet the taxation of any profit or to bear any loss. This case is unlikely, but should it happen that such a 'fairy godfather' appears it would be wise to bear in mind the warning given in the last Chapter as to the possible fate of a club dependent on one man for all its finances.

Alternatively the club proprietor could be a small group or partnership of well-disposed persons. Thirdly it could be a private company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1948. This case is perhaps the most likely, and the club members, up to the number of 50, may themselves form the Company, and be the

shareholders. Such a Company has a corporate personality of its own, and has perpetuity of existence unless deliberately liquid­ ated. It owns all the assets and the shareholders do not have any liability beyond any amount which may be unpaid on their Shares. The Share Capital may be quite small, for example 100 Ordinary Shares of £1 each. There is also the possibility of forming a Company Limited by Guarantee and not having a Share Capital. The Club Rules may be integrated with the Memorandum and Articles of the Company and the elected mem­ bers of the Club Committee become the Members of the Company.

The Companies Acts were intended to protect persons who invest money in securities, and in consequence there are many regulations. It is therefore essential to enlist the help of a Solicitor used to drafting Ithe Memorandum and Articles of Asso­ ciation. The Memorandum outlines the constitution of the corporate body, and in it power should be taken for the Company to transact many kinds of business, for example, to act as Bankers, to own and manage Airfields and Flying Schools, to act as Caterers or Restaurateurs, and so forth. The Articles of Asso­ ciation are the internal regulations of the Company, and in them are set out rules as to General Meetings of Shareholders, Powers of the Directors, use of the Company Seal and many other matters.

As the Solicitor will require to be instructed on many points, such as the amount of Share Capital, the number of Directors, and -so forth, it is clear that the club must either already be in existence or must come into being at approximately the same time. It is customary for the club to conduct the affairs of the Company, but the control of finances is usually maintained in the hands of the proprietor.

On the other hand, if the risks are realised, the unincorpor­ ated Members' Club has some minor advantages. The formalities in forming it are few, consisting principally of drafting and obtaining the members' approval of the Rules. 'It need not even be registered, so long as no paid staff are engaged and no provision of drinks is permitted. The Rules state the name of the club and its objects, lay down the manner in which it should be conducted, and disclose the terms of membership and the rights of members. As explained earlier, however, the members do not have the advantage of limited financial liability.

It is nevertheless possible to combine the best of both types of club, and there are two ways in which this may be done. In the case of the proprietory club the proprietor may enter into a Deed of Trust by which he agrees to apply all of any profits for the benefit of the members of the club which is the other party to the Deed. An identity of interest is thus established which constitutes mutual trading for no profit, and there is thus no liability for tax. In this case it is highly important that all trading should be confined to members of the club. Any income derived from sales to non-members, for instance giving 'joy-rides' to members of the public, is taxable if the club makes a profit from it.

7

In the case of the members' club the advantages of limited liability may be achieved by applying for registration under either the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts or the Friendly Societies Acts. The word 'Limited' is then required to be added to the name of the Club and its control is vested in a Committee of Management. In contradistinction to a private Limited Com­ pany, which must not have more than fifty shareholder members, every member of a Registered club or society must hold at least one Share, of a value which can be as low as one shilling. For further information on registration the reader is again referred to the book 'Reminders for Club Secretaries and Treasurers'.

The remarks so far apply to all clubs, not merely to gliding clubs. There are, in fact, examples of both types of club to be found in the British gliding world, and from the point of view of successful operation there is probably little to choose between them. The decision, therefore, which the founder group must make, subject to ratification by the body of members when the club is actually to be formed, is one which must be made on grounds of general policy. All factors must be taken into account, such as the size of the club at commencement and its possible growth, whether or not it is to lease or own an airfield or gliding site, whether it is to employ paid staff, and so forth.

Section 3 — Administrative ConsiderationsThe founder group will have to consider and settle in prin­

ciple a very large number of matters. It is difficult to draw a clear line of demarcation between what is administrative and what is operational, as all the operations of a gliding club are closely interwoven, and it may be said that the more tightly the club is knit together the more successful it will be.

Let us therefore look more closely at some of the matters which the 'founder group' will have to examine.

(i) The objects of the club must be reasonably well defined. Presumably the aim is to provide facilities for getting the mem­ bers into the air; but consideration has to be given to the question of whether the club is going to train pilots 'ab initio', in which case the further question arises as to a suitable C.F.I., or whether only such members will be admitted as are already qualified pilots. In the latter case the degree of proficiency which would be accepted as the minimum has to be decided.

Then again, it is not an impossible idea to recruit members to the club and arrange for them to receive training elsewhere. Some thought ought also to be given to the subject of visual and aural training, that is to say the provision of films and lectures. Lastly, one of the objects must surely be to promote good fellowship amongst a group of persons of similar interests.

(ii) As regards classes of membership, there will obviously be those 'full' members i.e. enjoying the full privileges of membership who will form the mainstay of the club. Some of

them, however, will have wives and families who merely 'tag along' in order not to be left at home as 'gliding widows'. It would not be reasonable to charge them a full subscription, and a class of 'associate' members, or a 'family membership' scheme, is worth careful consideration. Then there is the matter of visitors from other clubs who wish to make use of local gliding facilities. Provided certain legal points as to bona fide member­ ship are observed they may be received as 'temporary members', but must be excluded from buying drinks in the Bar for the first 48 hours.

(iii) As stated, different classes of membership involve differing rates of subscription, which should bear a reasonable relation to each other. For instance, it would be difficult to collect five guineas from a temporary member for a period of one month if the rate for weekly membership were only one guinea. In considering the actual rates of subscription, however, the first and very important warning that must be given is that gliding is not a cheap sport.

Another factor which is, or should be, self-evident is that it is invariably easier to bring charges down than to increase them. Before the war materials and labour were comparatively cheap, and gliders could be purchased at prices less than one- quarter of to-day's costs. After the war the Government subsidy granted to the Air Training Corps made it appear that gliding was inexpensive; and it has taken several years of hard-won experience to demonstrate that a gliding club to be successful must budget to achieve a surplus, and must organise its affairs on thoroughly sound business lines.

It may be assumed that the capital equipment which is needed by a club before flying can be started is more likely to be found by a loan than as a gift. Annual subscriptions, therefore, and flying charges, must be set at a level which will allow for the repayment of such loan over a period, as well as covering the other big annual charges in the way of Rent and Rates, Insurance, Depreciation, Light and Heat, and Maintenance of Aircraft, other than the day-to-day maintenance which should in any case be included in the flying fees.

(iv) The drafting of the Club Rules is a matter which requires a good deal of foresight. Although the interpretation of any particular rule should be open to no doubt, the set of rules as a whole should be sufficiently flexible to allow for changes of circumstances brought about by expansion to be covered. If the rules are too tightly drawn it may be found necessary to call a special general meeting of members in order to introduce changes, a process which is both time-wasting and tedious.

It has to be borne in mind that the Club Rules are in effect a form of contract between the club and its members. It is the members who finance the club through payment of subscriptions in exchange for privileges provided for them within the ambit of the rules. Therefore, although under the rules the Committee may be given powers of management to a very wide extent,

9

and may make many By-Laws, there is an implicit basic under­ standing that no privileges conferred by the rules can be taken away from members without their consent in general meeting. A specimen set of Club Rules will be found in Jordan's 'Reminders'.

(v) The proposals to be put before the preliminary meeting of members as regards the club officials and committee members should not be made lightly. The office of Chairman of a gliding club should be filled by someone in whom not only the founder group has confidence but who will command respect from all, whether within or outside the club. The office of Treasurer must similarly be held by someone whose opinions on matters of club finance can be accepted as being reliable. He should, also, like a dentist, be adept in the art of 'painless extraction' making sure that members pay their subscriptions and other fees and charges as promptly as possible.

The Secretary's official duties are no less important. He or she must be prompt in dealing with correspondence, good at keeping and writing up Minutes of meetings, careful to deal expeditiously and accurately with the statutory and other period­ ical returns that are required of a gliding club. The responsib­ ilities of these three officers of a club are dealt with at greater length in later Chapters.

Committee members may be either 'specialists' chosen to deal with some particular aspect of the club's affairs for which they are prepared to accept responsibility, or else they may be chosen on general grounds of wisdom in counsel, or prominence in local politics. It is, of course, highly probable that the members of the founder group will, by reason of being persons of initiative and steady purpose, automatically be deemed to be highly suitable committee members, at least for the early life of the club.

(vi) Last of the matters classed as administrative is the all- embracing subject of accommodation. The founder group may well feel that at this preliminary stage it is not necessary to plan very ambitiously; but experience over the past years has shown that 'amenities' are becoming more and more necessary to pre­ vent a drift of members away from Gliding to other forms of sport where better creature comforts prevail. It will, therefore, be wise for the founder group to have in mind a long-term plan for accommodation, including meals and the maintenance of the club spirit on days when the weather prevents flying.

Very few gliding clubs have progressed other than from small beginnings, and even to-day clubs in many parts have but little to offer their members on the domestic side. Gliding is by its nature an outdoor sport, and it can involve the expenditure of quite a lot of energy; as a result very healthy appetites are developed. Gliding sites are usually exposed; and although picnic lunches in the summer may be all very well, club members will feel far more willing to patronise the club and to cope with

10

inclement weather conditions if there is at least some place where they can take shelter and ohtain a hot drink or warm food.

The distance that members have to travel to reach the gliding site is also an important factor for consideration in connection with accommodation, and it will only be by providing, or arrang­ ing, sleeping quarters that members will be induced to make visits to the club over the whole of a week-end.

If nothing is provided except facilities for flying then non- flying members will not be attracted. The founder group should take into account the 'family' aspect of the membership. If wives and girl friends are catered for the members are likely to be more regular in attendance. This subject was touched on in an earlier Chapter in connection with Finance, and could be elaborated endlessly. It will surely be possible at least to achieve the minimum, and find a spot where a small hut can be erected. In this the families can keep warm, prepare meals, play darts or table tennis or cards. Such indoor attractions can be provided .at very little cost, wyhile in fine weather there is scope for out­ door attractions, such as a swing for children and a miniature golf course for adults. A supply of drinking water is, of course, essential, also sanitation at least of the chemical closet variety.

Whatever type or size of building is in prospect it must receive approval from the local planning authorities, and it is obviously wise to consult them well in advance and acquaint them with the ideas which the founder group may have as to the future expansion of the club. The provision of bunkhouses, or chalets for family holidays should all form part of a long-term plan. Sites for caravans must also be referred to the local auth­ orities, as under the 1960 Caravan Act many new regulations have come into force. Here again, the Sites Committee of the British 'Gliding Association will be able to assist if any difficulties are encountered.

On the Continent there are many gliding sites where the amenities have been extensively developed, including single and double bedrooms with wash-basins, shower-baths, an open-air swimming pool, a lecture hall with stage and recreation rooms. It is the responsibility of a founder group that has such long- term plans in mind to carry the members with them and to keep the eventual objective constantly before their eyes.

Plans should also be prepared for regular social functions, such as a Christmas play, or a dance. Such events not only provide an additional source of revenue, but also keep the mem­ bers in close touch during the winter season. They also serve as a useful opportunity of recruiting new members both flying and non-flying. As mentioned earlier it is essential for the club to be run on business lines.

Section 4 — Operational ProposalsClearly, at the same time as all these other matters have

been reciving the attention of the founder group the actual operations involved in gliding must be carefully planned.

11

(i) One of the most important matters for consideration, perhaps the most important, is the site where gliding is to be carried out. It must be considered in relation to towns, access roads, good sources for thermals, and so on. Broadly speaking gliding sites can be classified under two principal headings, hill sites and flat sites; however there are sub-divisions or com­ binations of both classes. For instance, cliff tops or beaches are sometimes used.

Some hill sites are at the summit, and all operations including launching and landing are conducted there; other hill sites are merely soaring slopes, and flights commence and finish at the foot of the hill, or even some little distance away. Flat sites may vary from a simple landing strip to a disused aerodrome where launching by winch, motor-tow, or aero-tow are all practicable. Very large fields, or open spaces of grassland, of the order of 100 acres, may permit only winch launching, and the retrieving of the cable may have to be done by another winch.

The Sites Committee of the British Gliding Association should, of course, be consulted. Its function is to advise on the suitability of a proposed site; to assist in negotiations with the owner of a proposed site for a licence, lease or purchase; to mediate in any dispute which might arise; and to advise and assist on all other matters affecting sites, such as rating assessments, taxation, local planning provisions and public health. To be considered suitable a site should allow for two alternative take-off directions of 1,000 yards length free of obstructions.

It goes without saying that in a small Country such as England there are practically no "wide open spaces", and it will be found that negotiations generally have to be conducted with a farmer, or that at any rate there are some farming interests, or possibly shooting rights, to be taken into account. Land regularly tilled for crop production is clearly out of the question, while land used for grazing, or for the growth of grass for silage, also involves the solving of special problems. In the choice of a site the neighbouring land must be considered, as not only must the air approaches be good but there must be some suitable areas where emergency landings can be made without disaster, and without causing annoyance to the occupier. It has been known for a club to settle down on a flat area of grass land rented from a friendly farmer and then to suffer disillusion later.

In any event, if the club is to be a success, the importance of reasonably easy access by car must not be overlooked. An execrable approach road will not only cause excessive wear and tear on members' cars and trailers, but will discourage visitors from coming to the site. Consideration should also be given, with an eye to future 'buildings, to such mundane matters as water supply and drains. Water from a hill-side spring can be brought up to the top of a ridge by means of a simple hydraulic ram which requires the minimum of maintenance.

12

These matters have already been mentioned as being of an administrative nature, but they can also be said to be operational, as by the principle of 'self-help' the members working together can achieve much at but little expense. Hard core for making roads can be transported and put down by members; trenches for drains and water pipes can be dug; buildings, even, can be erected, equipped and decorated.

(ii) The founder group must have concrete proposals as to the club fleet of gliders. If either 'ab initio' or 'advanced' training are to be carried out, or both, then a two-seater of an appropriate type will be needed, and more than one Instructor must be available. If, on the other hand, the club is to be composed of qualified glider pilots, and such advanced training as they may need is to be arranged by attendance at advanced courses of instruction elsewhere, then a fleet of sailplanes, or high- performance gliders, will need to be provided. In a club where the members are pilots at all stages of proficiency a solution may be found by a private-owner syndicate making its sailplane available to approved club members on certain terms.

The number of aircraft in the club fleet must clearly be considered in relation to the economic question of degree of utilisation. The size of the hanger may put a practical limit to the size of the fleet, even if there were unlimited Capital avail­ able. Factors to be taken into account are the total number of flying members in the varying categories of pilotage ability; the launching facilities; the number of instructors, bearing in mind that an instructor cannot teach regularly for more than 30 launches a day; what may be called the 'soarability' of the site; and finally the degree of frustration which the members are willing to suffer, for it is quite impossible to provide enough gliders to satisfy all those who wish to fly when the weather is really good.

(iii) Hangarage should not be considered by the founder group without some thought also being given to workshop facilities for the maintenance of the gliders and the launching equipment. The materials and construction of a glider are of such a nature that protection from the elements is essential. This can be provided by means of glider trailers, into which the air­ craft are stowed at the end of the day's flying. Even the trailers, however, will be in need of some protection during the winter months, otherwise there will be a bigger requirement for period­ ical maintenance and re-painting. New materials, such as fibre glass, or rigid plastic sheeting, may however simplify this prob­ lem in the future.

Even a small hangar may cost the better part of £2,000, but a large barn-like structure can be quite adequate. In this a portion can be partitioned off to form an aircraft workshop. Space will also be needed under cover for keeping and maintaining the means of launching, whether winch or tow-car or aeroplane tug. In this connection it should not be forgotten that gliders

13

are made of inflammable materials, and therefore it is essential to take precautions against the risk of fire. Paint spraying should be conducted in an entirely separate building, not in part of the hangar.

(iv) The founder group will have to give careful attention to the question of what launching facilities are to be provided. These, of course, are largely governed by the nature of the gliding site, and may range from the use of stretched elastic, or 'bunjy', to a high-powered Diesel-engined winch, or fast motor vehicles or aeroplanes. On an aerodrome with hard runways it may be that several methods could be used at the same time.

Connected with launching is also the matter of the means to be employed for bringing back the cable to the launching point when a winch is used. Allied subjects for consideration are launching point control, the recording of flights, and the method to be adopted of communicating between launching point and Avinch. One or two Bats, white or coloured electric Signal Lamps, Klaxons, or Field Telephone sets; any of these may prove to be the right answer in certain circumstances.

(v) The founder group should consider the advisability of affiliating the club to the British Gliding Association, either as an Associate or Full Member. This is not actually compulsory, but in return for the annual subscription a club obtains many advantages. The terms of reference of one of its Committees, the Sites Committee, have already been mentioned. There is also a Technical Committee dealing with all questions as to the air­ worthiness of gliders; the Instructors' Panel which sets and maintains standards of instruction and approves Instructors; and other Committees. In brief, the B.G.A. undertake the issue and renewal of Certificates of Airworthiness, the payment of claims for Petrol Rebate, the control of gliding competitions on a National basis, the appointment of Official Observers, and many other services to the cause of gliding.

A club which becomes a member of the British Gliding Asso­ ciation contracts to comply with the B.G.A. Operational Regu­ lations. These are framed in the interest of safe flying, and cover many vital points, such as the provision of an approved type of glider towing hook, the use of weak links on winch cables, etc., and, quite logically, the requirement for a declaration of physical fitness to be signed by every glider pilot before taking a glider into the air solo.

Clubs which give 'joy rides' to members of the public must take care not to violate the provisions of the Carriage by Air Order, 1952, which lays down that paying passengers may not be carried in a glider unless the pilot holds a commercial pilot's licence. If, however, certain conditions are complied with a dispensation can be granted, and the B.G.A. can give its member clubs assistance in this.

14

Chapter 3 BRINGING A CLUB INTO BEING

Section 1 — Preliminary MeetingsTT is assumed that the founder group, which is the nucleus of * real enthusiasts, has satisfied itself as to the 'need' for the club, and has made tentative plans after considering all the matters described in the preceding Chapter. It is assumed, also, that it has made contact with an adequate number of interested persons, some, if not all, of whom have said that they will join the club when it is formed. Now is the time to start a publicity campaign, by means of posters and advertising, and to call a 'preliminary meeting'.

The purpose of the preliminary meeting is to whip up enthusiasm among the half-hearted and to strengthen the faith of those already half committed. It may indeed be necessary to hold more than one preliminary meeting, and every oppor­ tunity should be taken to maintain interest at a high pitch, such as by the showing of a gliding film. It is unlikely that the founder group will include no man with special qualities of leadership, but even so it may be advisable to invite one of the notable personalities of the gliding world to give a short talk, or even to take the Chair of the meeting.

Numerous matters will have to be explained and discussed. Obviously the practical considerations will be spoken of, for example the gliding site, the gliders, hangarage, launching facil­ ities, terms of membership and so forth. All these matters will have been already settled in principle by the deliberations of the founder group, but they must naturally be carefully and fully explained to prospective members. Their decision whether or not to give their support may well depend on their views as to the adequacy of the earlier planning. It must be remembered that at this stage nothing has got beyond the stage of being a 'pro­ posal', and the founder group must be very careful to deal tact­ fully with any objections that might arise, for example doubts about the nuisance of 'noise' on the Sabbath.

If it appears that there is adequate support for the proposed club it is possible that one preliminary meeting will suffice, in which case the meeting can proceed to take certain decisions, which should be duly recorded by someone who has been deputed to take Minutes of the meeting. Such decisions are: to form the club; to decide the name of the club; to declare the objects and constitution of the club and whether it should be registered in any way. (Note here that if the club is to have a Bar, or sell alcoholic refreshments, it will have to be registered.)

Other matters for decision are the framework of the club as to classes of membership and probable rates of subscription; to outline the Club Rules; to designate a Chairman, Treasurer, and

15

Secretary, and a provisional Committee, and to give them a pro­ gramme of work prior to the next meeting, which will be called the 'Inaugural Meeting". The date for this meeting must of course be settled.

It is not unusual for those persons who are willing to join on the spot to be invited to pay down a sum of money an account of their entrance fee, if any, and their first year's subscription, and for them to be classed as 'founder members'. It may well be decided, now or later, that the founder members should be dis­ tinguished by a special lapel badge or a distinctive club tie. Sometimes the founder members, or the first dozen or so members who join, are admitted without entrance fee.

Section 2 — The Inaugural MeetingThe date, time and place for the Inaugural Meeting will have

been decided by the last preliminary meeting. It should, of course, be widely advertised, both in the local Press and by notices in shop windows and elsewhere. Whichever member of the original founder group has so far consented to act as Secretary should have sent out a personal invitation, at least seven days in advance, to all interested parties, also to those considered likely to be interested who may have been mentioned by persons who were present at the preliminary meeting.

This notice should declare the principal purpose of the meet­ ing, i.e., to declare the Club duly founded. If the club is to be a proprietory club in the form of a Limited Liability Company this Inaugural Meeting can also be the first Ordinary General Meeting of the members who are shareholders at which the Directors can be appointed. The notice should also show other specific items as the Agenda, such as: 'to approve the draft Rules of the Club'; 'to elect the Officers of the Club, viz. Chairman, Hon. Secretary, and Hon. Treasurer'; 'to elect a Committee'; 'to appoint the Auditors'.

A convenient 'omnibus' item on the Agenda might read 'to confirm the actions so far taken by the founder group'; another item should be to empower the Committee to decide, within certain time limits, the date of the next annual meeting. Lastly there should be an item 'to consider and decide any other outstanding matters which may be tabled'. The notice should conclude with a statement that after the formal business of the meeting has been concluded an informal discussion will take place. This gives an opportunity for the newly elected Committee members to explain their plans, and for the members to put forward informally any particular views on how they would like to see the club progress in the future.

The formal matters of approving the draft Rules and electing the Officers and Committee members and appointing the Auditors should not take very long. There are, however, many other matters which require either decision or approval. For instance,

16

the decision whether the work of the club shall be done by paid staff or voluntary staff is one that is proper to be taken by the general body of members, because it will obviously require a greater club revenue if paid staff are to be employed, and it is the members themselves who must in the long run provide such finance. Such a decision would of course have a direct bearing on the rates of subscription.

Again, the decision which will probably have been taken by the founder group to affiliate to the British Gliding Association should be endorsed by the general body of members, for the reason that they are all thereafter bound to conform to the B.G.A. Operational Regulations. Another matter which it may well be good policy to get approved by the general body of members right from the start is the method of charging annual subscrip­ tions. Should they all expire at the end of the club's financial year, or should each member be given a calendar year's member­ ship from whatever the date on which he may join ? The pros and cons are given in the Chapter on the Treasurer's work, and there, too, will be found some considerations on another matter which may well be decided by the Inaugural Meeting, namely the manner in which the subscriptions should be geared to the flying fees. A high annual subscription with low flying fees may keep out some very keen and desirable people, on the other hand some persons who could afford to pay more than a low subscription may complain of consistently high charges for flying. It may be best to compromise, bearing in mind that low flying fees are being subsidised out of subscriptions.

In order to maintain the enthusiasm of the audience at the Inaugural Meeting it would be a sound plan to arrange for a gliding film to be shown. Another good idea is to have some of the founder group in different parts of the room so that they can write down names and addresses of all those who attend and who are apparently interested. To make certain that they will join later when the club is established it may be possible to extract a ten shilling 'Registration Fee' from everyone. At all stages keep the local Press fully informed and interested, and all those who have been 'registered' must be kept acquainted with progress by means of circulars.

17

Chapter 4

COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES

T TXLESS the members of a club are prepared to deal in general ^ meeting with all the day to day business it is necessary for there to be a Committee, and the Club Rules normally provide for this, and for the members to be elected annually at the gen­ eral meeting. The powers of the Committee are provided under the Rules, but the Committee has no power to alter the Rules, it can only propose changes when they consider them necessary. It can, however, issue such By-Laws as it may deem advisable,, so long as they do not conflict with the Rules.

It is not an easy matter to define the exact duties and responsibilities of a Committee. Its members have, quite rightly,, considerable powers over the club members. The good name of the club could to a great extent depend upon the committee. Indeed, a weak committee which permitted, for example, flagrant and frequent breaches of the Licensing Acts might find that by its- lack of insistence upon observation of the Rules and By-Laws, it had brought the club into disrepute and the danger of being struck off.

Whatever the size of the club it is unavoidable that in the early stages the Committee will have to meet at fairly frequent intervals. Later, and especially so in the case of a club with a large active membership, a good deal of the day-to-day executive work can be done by sub-committees, who would render a report upon their particular sphere of responsibility at each main committee meeting.

At the first Committee Meeting there will, of course, be numerous decisions to be taken in implementation of the decis­ ions of the Inaugural General Meeting. A good many of them will not have to be thought of again. For instance, the appoint­ ment of Bankers is a matter which, once decided, is unlikely ever to find itself again upon the Agenda. Much useful infor­ mation as to the duties of the club committees is to be found in the book "Reminders for Club Secretaries and Treasurers'.

One of the first duties of the Committee, then is, as stated, to draw up a set of By-Laws, not in conflict with the Rules but under their authority, to govern the conduct of members using the club facilities. For instance, dogs at loose on a gliding site are an obvious source of danger, and there should be a By-Law requiring all members who bring dogs to the club, also any of their guests who may be accompanied by dogs, to keep them on a lead. Dogs can, if desired, be excluded from the dining room or other rooms.

When the committee has decided to introduce a new By-Law it should be displayed upon the club's Notice Board, whereupon it is deemed to have been brought to the notice of all members. By-Laws do not need to be confirmed by the general body of

18

members, but objection to a By-Law can of course be made by members in general meeting.

Examples of some other By-Laws which may be found useful are, the limiting of the amount of cash which a member may receive in exchange for his personal cheques in any one week; the limiting of the number of times a particular guest may be introduced to the club premises without his being required to become a member himself; the requirement that the names of all guests should be entered in a guest book together with the name of the member acting as host. Outside the actual club­ house By-Laws may be made to define car parking areas and to prohibit indiscriminate parking of cars or bicycles; to limit the use of the club water supply, without an appropriate fee, for the purpose of washing members' cars; to require, if not stated In the Rules, that every member should sign a Declaration indem­ nifying the club against any damage he may cause or that may be caused to him.

Apart from framing By-Laws the first Committee Meeting should deal with such matters as Insurances, and should decide the methods of book-keeping and signing of cheques on the club account, as well as what statistical records are to be kept. It must decide how often it is to meet, and the time and place of meetings most convenient to the majority, if not to all. Such a decision for a regular meeting may possibly be included in the By-Laws so that no-one may question the validity of a meeting. Although in the early stages in the life of a club it may be necessary for the committee to hold frequent meetings, once the club is running a monthly meeting, or a meeting every six weeks should suffice, especially if there is a club manager, or if sub­ committees have been appointed to deal with particular spheres of work.

A sub-committee may be considered to be a section of the main committee, or it may be formed of club members who are not on the main committee. It is, however, sound practice for the Chairman of every sub-committee to be a member of the main committee, if possible, as he will be more in touch with the general line of thought of the main committee should any question of policy arise.

When the Committee decides to set up a sub-committee it may delegate to it quite considerable powers. It could, for instance, form a Management, or Executive, Sub-committee, giving it the power to engage and dismiss employees, settle their terms of engagement and remuneration, enter into tenancy agreements or leases, purchase equipment and incur other Capital expenditure.

It is sound practice to provide in the Rules that no member may serve on a sub-committee, or on the main committee, for more than a given number of years without retirement for an interval of at least one year. This gives 'new blood' an oppor­ tunity to gain an insight into the methods of operation of the

19

club. If there were no such rule there is a strong probability of the same members being elected year after year, and becoming eventually a sort of 'Cabal. There is, of course, a lot to be said for 'continuity' in the officials who run the club but there is also a danger that a small governing group may come to feel that they are the only people who know how to guide the club along certain lines, which may be quite sound but not quite what the members desire. Another point is that a committee member who is 'rusticated' for a short interval will probably return to the committee when re-elected with a slightly different outlook.

In a small closely knit club the sub-committees normally found include a Wine Committee, a Flying Committee, an Aircraft Committee and a Mechanical Transport Committee. These are semi-permanent standing sub-committees, in that they are set up each year for a specific purpose. Other forms of sub-committee may be set up either for a long-term object, such as acquiring a freehold site or building a clubhouse, or else for a short-term purpose. In each case the sub-committee should be given proper terms of reference, in writing and, if appropriate, a date by which the members should furnish their report to the main com­ mittee to which they are responsible.

A Wine Committee will, of course, only be set up in a club where there is a Bar or where alcoholic refreshment is on sale to the members. When there is a Bar it is necessary to ensure that the supply of intoxicating liquor to the club is under the control of the members. The reason for this is that no-one may make a personal profit out of the sale of liquor without a Justices' licence. Sometimes, although there is a Bar, there is no Wine Committee but one club member is nominated as Wine Member and serves on the main committee.

The duty of the Wine Committee is to control the Bar, and the Bar Steward if there is one. Prices for drinks have to be fixed so as to show a reasonable margin of gross profit, say 20 per cent, and stocks must be kept constantly under review to ensure that they are in good demand. There should be a stock­ taking at regular intervals. Another duty of the Wine Committee, which may be delegated to the Steward, if there is one, is to ensure that all guests are properly signed in by the member introducing them.

The purpose of the Flying Committee is to make decisions on matters of flying policy. In order to be successful it must include not only the Chief Flying Instructor but also members of con­ siderable flying experience some of whom should also be instruc­ tors. It should not, however, be composed solely of flying instructors, nor should the Chairman be the Chief Flying Instruc­ tor, for the obvious reason that the Flying Committee is the next Court of Appeal from a decision of the C.F.I, on the field. On the other hand, of course, the Chief Flying Instructor is entitled to expect full co-operation and support from the Flying Com­ mittee, otherwise his position would become impossible.

20

It is the Flying Committee's responsibility to ensure that the right standards of flying are maintained. In their hands will lie the safety record of the club. They should lay down, in conjunction with the C.F.I., the syllabus of training for members; and the lessons which are to be taught to pupils who may come merely on a week's course.

Another matter which would typically be one for the Flying Committee to decide would be the entry of one or more of the club gliders in a competition; likewise it would be for this Com­ mittee to decide as to the pilot or pilots who should fly. In the purchase of new aircraft they would naturally be in close con­ sultation with the Aircraft Committee.

The Aircraft Committee has an important part to play in the successful operation of a gliding club. It has the big respon­ sibility not only of advising on the purchase of new gliders, but of the maintenance of the existing club fleet. In the matter of purchase, indeed, the final decision will no doubt be made by the main committee because of the financial considerations involved unless, of course, the club is a proprietory club wherein the equipment is provided for its use by the proprietor, whether Company or individual.

As for the maintenance of the club aircraft, it is the duty of the Aircraft Committee to ensure the proper entries are made in the log books, to see that a proper scheme exists for daily and other regular inspections, and to ensure that maintenance work is carried out satisfactorily. If there is within the club a properly qualified Ground Engineer then much of this respon­ sibility will be within his province; or the maintenance work may be put out to contract. But the training of members to carry out the daily inspections, and the final 'supervision of all mainten­ ance and repairs are duties which devolve upon the Aircraft Committee as the agents of the main committee.

In every club there is sure to be a member who is mechan­ ically minded and will be willing to serve on the Transport sub­ committee. There is not much need to explain the purpose of this body; briefly it can be summed up in the statement that the aim must be to keep all launching equipment and cross-country retrieving equipment in first-class order.

If there is a club workshop care should be taken to see that all purchases of tools and other equipment are properly recorded in an Inventory book, and the Transport Committee should check this Inventory from time to time, and at the very least once a year. A frequent cause of the disappearance of small tools is their being borrowed by members in order to effect a small repair to a private car and not being returned promptly. If a By-Law is made that tools may not be borrowed from Work­ shops without a fee of 6d. being put in a money-box this will minimise losses and provide a fund for the replacement of dam­ aged or broken equipment.

21

Chapter 5

THE CHAIRMAN'S RESPONSIBILITIES

TN many clubs the Chairman may be the equivalent of a benevo- -* lent dictator, but this can hardly be said to be truly demo­ cratic and in tune with the spirit of the age in which we live. Nevertheless, the Chairman should be a man of strong character, able to control, guide and often lead the Committee and the general body of members. He must of course be able to take a detached view, and must of all things be impartial.

At meetings his first duty is to make sure that a quorum is present. If the club rules are silent on this point it is possible for no more than two persons present to constitute a meeting. Although a great deal of informality may be permissible, espec­ ially at committee meetings, the Chairman has a duty to see that business is conducted in an orderly manner, and as soon as the meeting is declared open he should call on the Secretary to read the Minutes of the last meeting. These, however, are often circulated in advance, and if so by consensus of opinion or, more formally, by a 'motion', may be 'taken as read'. If there are no objections they can then be signed.

Objections to the Minutes, incidentally, can only be made on the grounds of their not being a true and correct record of the proceedings of the last meeting. An objection that a partic­ ular decision was the wrong one to make is out of order, and such a decision can only be changed by formally revoking it by a subsequent resolution.

After the Minutes have been approved and signed it is usual for the matters which arise out of the Minutes, as opposed to new business, to be discussed. The Secretary, or the appropriate member of the committee, should be in a position to give an account of what has been done. Whereas at a committee meeting it would be perhaps tedious to proceed by way of formal pro­ posal and secondment, at a general meeting there is considerable virtue in the conduct of business in a somewhat formal manner. Any proposal, for instance, which is not immediately seconded Should not be allowed to be discussed.

At general meetings of members there is often one, some­ times more than one member, who may wish repeatedly to state his point of view. A good rule is that no member should be allowed to speak more than twice; the first time to state his proposal with supporting reasons, and the second time to answer later on, if he can, any criticisms of his proposal which may have been put forward by other members.

The Chairman should, so far as possible within the limits of the available time, permit every speaker to say what is pertinent to the subject under discussion, but speakers who merely wish to endorse what previous members have already said need not

22

be allowed much time. Needless to say a Chairman should at once interrupt what is evidently developing into a harangue, and must prohibit the introduction of personalities.

When a matter is put to a vote the Chairman will be wise if he asks another club official to count with him the show of hands for and against the motion. In the event of a tie it is entirely within the Chairman's discretion whether or not he exercises his right to a casting vote. It could conceivably be wiser for him, in certain circumstances, not to do so, in which case the motion would be lost as it had not secured a majority vote, and would have to be brought up again at a subsequent meeting should the proposer so desire. If in the course of dis­ cussion an amendment to the proposal is introduced this should also be properly seconded, and any amendment must be voted on before a vote is taken on the original proposal.

Much useful information on the conduct of meetings will be found in "Reminders for Club Secretaries and Treasurers".

As already stated, much of the formality just described is appropriate to a general meeting rather than to the business of a committee. Here also, however, the Chairman must be firm,, as well as tactful, otherwise the proceedings may drag on interminably. A solution to an apparent impasse is often to be found in the setting up of a sub-committee to examine a partic­ ular proposal and to report back to the main committee at a later meeting.

If a sub-committee is appointed it should be given proper terms of reference, and its chairman should preferably be a member of the main committee, who may be given power to co-opt other members to assist him in the work. It is the Chair­ man's duty to ensure that any sub-committees are properly set up, with proper terms of reference, and a specific date by which they should report. In no case should a sub-committee be con­ stituted of a semi-permanent nature; its life should expire at the latest with the life of the main committee, i.e.. at the next annual general meeting of members, when all offices should be vacated.

There are certain administrative matters which are part of a Chairman's duties. His signature will probably be required on certain periodical returns, for instance the Petrol Rebate claim,, in addition to that of the Secretary. There may well arise occasions when an important letter may carry a little more weight if signed by the Chairman rather than by the Secretary. The Chairman should be responsible for scrutinising the con­ tents of 'news-letters' to the members, and should make sure that they are distributed, not left lying in the letter rack indefinitely.

23

Chapter 6 THE SECRETARY AND HIS DUTIES

TN the absence of a General Manager the Secretary is the im- - portant link between the members and the club committee. A good deal of tact is therefore required from this Officer, and he may often be required to give spot decisions or perhaps interpretations of Rules or By-Laws. In case of doubt, of course, he must be prepared to refer any matter to the Chairman, or the committee, or a sub-committee, if he deems it advisable.

Some of his duties, such as the recruitment of pupils for instructional courses, may be delegated; and for many others he will require to keep closely in touch with the club Treasurer. His prime duties are to convene all meetings of members and of the committee, deal with all correspondence, render all returns required in connection with the club, and to deal with the pre­ liminaries of the enrolment of new members.

First, as regards new members, it is the Secretary's duty to see that the form of application is properly made out and contains all the information that the committee may require to know when the applicant comes up for election. The form should not only consist of an application to join the club as at this stage it is highly convenient that the candidate should give over his signature his consent to abide by the Club Rules and By­ laws. Further, to protect the club it is necessary, especially in the case of flying members, that there should be a clause con­ stituting a proper form of indemnity by which the candidate undertakes, if elected, not to make any claim against the club if he suffers damage through default or negligence of the club or its servants.

Additional protection for the club may be provided by including on the form a reference to the legal prohibition of the purchase of alcoholic drinks by a new member without a minimum interval of 48 hours between nomination and election. Finally, the form should also embody a declaration of physical fitness. Tn the Appendix will be found a specimen form of applica­ tion which it may be considered desirable to adopt. It should, however, be borne in mind that so far as can be ascertained the validity of the form of indemnity, commonly known as a 'blood chit', has never been tested in a Court of Law, and it is prudent to consider the possibility of insuring against the risk of a claim being made despite the signed indemnity, or the possibility of the indemnity being mislaid.

It will be readily understood that the circumstances in which new members are admitted into gliding clubs, at any rate in this country, are quite different from those which apply in the case of a social club in a town, when a period of some weeks may elapse between the proposal of a member for admission to a club and his actual election. In gliding circles it is quite com­ mon for the actual election to be more or less of a formality, and candidates who have filled in the form and paid the neces­ sary fees are frequently permitted at once to enjoy the club24

facilities on the flying field and in the club-house. As stated above, however, the Bar should be barred to them except in the capacity of a Guest of a member for the first 48 hours.

Whilst on the subject of the Bar, if in fact the club does operate one, or makes alcoholic refreshments available on sale to members, it is very important that a Guest Book should be maintained. It is the Secretary's responsibility to ensure that the names of Visitors are properly recorded, together with the name of the member introducing a visitor. It is doubtless common knowledge that no visitor to a club may legally purchase a drink. If the Secretary delegates the custody of the Guest Book to a Wine Member or Bar Steward it still remains his responsibility to ensure that the book is properly entered up. The Rules as to admission of Visitors should of course be included in the club Rules or Bye-laws.

In a small club it is quite possible for the Treasurer and the Secretary to be the same person. If not, although the Trea­ surer may, and almost certainly will, keep a list of members, it is the Secretary's duty to maintain a proper Register or record containing the up-to-date addresses of club members. In the event of a club coming under suspicion of infringement of the Law a Police Officer has the right to inspect the register of members as well as the Guest Book.

The address book can be quite a simple book alphabetically indexed, or it may be of the loose leaf variety. If a card-index system is used it should be of the type wherein the cards are secured on a rod, or on wires. Otherwise, if the index is gen­ erally accessible there is the possibility of cards being with­ drawn and misplaced, if not actually lost, by irresponsible persons. A reminder may be given here that to qualify as a full member club under the Rules of the British Gliding Association there must be a minimum number of twenty-five flying members.

As regards meetings of members and of the committee, the Secretary must send out notices in due time, and prepare the Agenda. It is his duty to keep Minutes of the proceedings at meetings and to record them in a Minute Book. Such books can be purchased, but it is often convenient to type the Minutes and paste them into an ordinary folio book or file them in a binder. There is something of an Art in the proper keeping of Minutes, so that when referring back a particular matter can easily be found. A wide left-hand margin is useful for making a record of the subject under discussion, while a margin should also be left on the right-hand side in which to note the name of the official who is to take any necessary action resulting from a decision, or to record in the briefest of words the actual decision reached after discussion.

The promulgation of Minutes is a matter for decision by the Committee. The Minutes of general meetings of members are usually left to be read out, confirmed as to accuracy, and signed by the Chairman at the next general meeting. Sometimes, how­ ever, they are circulated shortly before the subsequent meeting,

in which case, on a Motion being passed, they may be taken as read before being put to the Meeting for confirmation.

In the case of Committee Minutes, however, action is gen­ erally required by several persons. It is for the Committee to decide whether the full Minutes shall be circulated to all Committee members as soon after the meeting as possible, or whether the Secretary shall be called on to send out only extracts from his Minutes where action is called for. In any case, of course, it is the Secretary's duty to inform the members, by suitable extracts from the Minutes, of any decisions of the Com­ mittee which have been made affecting the general body of members in their daily life.

In this connection the great value of 'News Letters' as a means of keeping members informed should not be overlooked. It is possible in a newsletter to explain a good deal of the background behind a Committee decision, and thus to preserve goodwill and even tempers among the members who might other­ wise see no good reason for an unpopular decision, such as the increase of flying charges or Bar prices.

As for the Secretary's duties in relation to the club corre­ spondence, it is wise to institute from the start a really .sound filing system, and one which is capable of expansion. As a club grows there arises an increasing multitude of subjects under which correspondence should be classified and filed away. It is scarcely appropriate in this volume to discuss the great variety of filing systems, but if the Secretary of a new club has no experience in this field he would be wise to obtain advice on the matter right from the start.

In dealing with the actual correspondence, although it cannot be denied that the keeping of a proper 'letter book' is somewhat tedious, yet such a record of letters received and letters despatched should really be kept, if only in the interests, of good administration. In fact, however, a record in a letter book of receipt or despatch of a letter can often be quite inval­ uable, and it will be found a simple matter to combine it with the essential record of postage stamps purchased and used.

In the ordinary way the necessity for a great deal of corre­ spondence with actual club members does not arise, but the Secretary may have to deal with quite a number of enquiries from potential members. Also, if there is no member deputed to act as Course Secretary in a club which intends to run training courses for new recruits to gliding, there will be many letters to answer on this subject.

The Committee will of course have settled dates for training courses, and in conjunction with the C.F.I, will have decided the curriculum for the course and the number of pupils which is acceptable. It is current practice, as approved by the B.G.A., not to accept on a course of 'ab initio' pupils more than five or possibly six trainees if only one instructor is available. The work of the Secretary will be considerably lightened if all the conditions of taking a course are fully and clearly set out on a duplicated or printed sheet. If the terms are made clear at

26

the outset, especially as to any rebate which may be given to a pupil for failure to achieve a stated number of launches, due to bad weather or some other cause, much subsequent correspondence may be saved.

Finally, there is the Secretary's responsibility for the rend­ ering of returns required of the club. In the case of a Limited Liability Company an Annual Return is required. This has to be made as at the fourteenth day after the Annual General Meeting of members, that is to say Shareholders, and there is a legal penalty for failure to submit this within the time limit of six weeks. Similarly, in the case of a Society registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act, or of a Friendly Society, there is a requirement by Law to render an annual return in the prescribed form. For advice on these returns the club's legal advisers or Auditors should be consulted.

The advantages of the club's being a member of the British Gliding Association are numerous. In return, however, the Asso­ ciation requires an annual statement to be sent in showing the number of flying and non-flying members, the number of launches- and flying hours achieved, and other information which is re­ quired for statistical purposes to assess the progress of the gliding movement as a whole. In particular, twice a year a return has to be submitted forming the basis for the club's claim for petrol rebate.

A full description of the petrol rebate system is unnecessary in this volume. Briefly, it is a concession by the Government to aid private flying and gliding, and can be withdrawn at any time, particularly if it were found to be subject to abuse. A rebate of Is. 9d. per gallon off the Tax on petrol can be claimed by a club which fulfils certain condtitions. The petrol purchases must be supported by proper receipts, and the petrol must have been consumed either by launching gliders at the rate of not less than three launches to a gallon; or else in motor vehicles used for retrieving gliders from cross-country flights, or taking them to and from visits to other gliding sites or aircraft works for repair. The motor vehicles must have a petrol consumption of 15 miles to the gallon or better. Tax rebate can also be claimed in the case of petrol used by powered aircraft launching gliders by aero-tow; but in this case the claim is based on hours flown by the tug and the amount of Tax recoverable varies with the type of aircraft employed.

It will 'be seen from this brief outline of the scheme that in order to compile this claim the Secretary must be in possess­ ion of a considerable amount of information. Some of this he will obtain from the Treasurer, and the rest from the club flying records which are primarily the responsibility of the Chief Flying Instructor. The claim forms when completed have to be signed by the Secretary and countersigned by the Chairman before being passed to the British Gliding Association for bulk submission to the Ministry of Aviation. The Ministry has the right to inspect the club records to verify the accuracy of a claim.

27

Chapter 7

THE TREASURER'S TASKS

Due to the complexity of the sport of Gliding it is probable that the Treasurer of a gliding club has rather more arduous duties than in the case of other clubs. On top of a treasurer's normal duties of being the custodian of club revenues and the recorder of income and expenditure he will have the task of calculating the flying fees to be collected from members, keeping the necessary records to enable the correct claim for petrol tax rebate to be made, and also maintaining sucli other statistics as will enable him to say with confidence whether the flying charges are adequate to keep the club solvent.

If the Club is so fortunate as to have a qualified Accountant in the position of Treasurer then its finances will be in good hands, and much of the work which may seem difficult to a layman will be easily dealt with by the professional. In particu­ lar he will, if he is a keen gliding type, be especially anxious to ensure that the financial stability of the club is not in danger.

Not infrequently, however, the Treasurer may have only a limited knowledge of book-keeping, and the following paragraphs may therefore assist him.

(i) The Treasurer being in a position of trust should not only be sure in his own mind that the club's finances are in order but should be able to show this by examination of his books of account. The most important book of account is the Cash Book, and this may either be combined with a Ledger, to which items are transferred, or may be of the type having num­ erous columns under which the items of revenue and expenditure are analysed. Depending upon the club circumstances it may also be necessary to maintain a Petty Cash Book, and a Postages Book should also be kept.

(ii) On the subject of Club revenue, it should be a cardinal principle that all cash received should at once be entered into the Cash Book and then be paid into the Bank. Payments into the Bank should of course be recorded in a Bank Paying-in Book, and should be made promptly. Temporary custody of cash pend­ ing payment in should be by means of a cash-box, or a safe if the club is a large one. It should not be overlooked that a cheque is merely a piece of paper instructing the drawer's Bankers to pay, and that therefore it has no real cash value to the club until it is banked. When accepting a cheque from a member it is as well to make sure that the amounts shown in words and figures agree and that it is correctly dated.

(iii) The annual collection of the subscriptions and the issuing of new membership cards can constitute a considerable headache for the Treasurer. If, as is usually the case, the club's

28

financial year ends with or near the calendar year it is recog­ nised that this is a more difficult time than usual to extract money from members. Many people do not like giving Bankers' Orders for payment of subscriptions, but there is no doubt that a Treasurer's work and worry can be considerable eased in this way. He must, of course, maintain a proper Subscriptions Register.

There are two schools of thought as to the method of charging subscriptions. If all fall due on a particular date each year then the Treasurer can depend on a more or less definite amount being available at that time which may be required, for example, for the payment of an Insurance premium or other heavy standing charge. On the other hand it may be better for the club, and possibly also from the point of view of the mem­ bers, to make the annual subscription cover a full year from the date of joining. By the income from subscriptions being thus spread over at least a large part of the year a more regular revenue is assured, and should a number of members fail to renew their membership the effect is not so suddenly felt. The decision on the policy to be adopted is one for the Committee to make.

(iv) The other principal source of revenue is of course the charges made for flying. Here again there are two schools of thought concerning the manner in which flying fees should be geared to subscriptions. It may be said that the fairest way is so to arrange matters that those who do the most flying pay the most money; this can be achieved by charging a compara­ tively low annual subscription and putting the flying fees up to a high rate.

On the other hand it may be said that those members who support a club throughout the year are entitled to some reciprocal benefit; this can be achieved by having a much higher annual subscription and flying charges which do little more than cover the prime costs of flying. Thus, the more a member flies the less it costs him per launch or per hour. There is also a good deal to be said for the argument that the flying charges should be re­ duced in Winter, and raised slightly in the Summer, thus follow­ ing the natural law of supply and demand, and having as a precedent the existing practice at many gliding sites of charging less for out-of-season 'ab initio' training courses.

Whatever decision is made as to the flying charges it should be remembered that it appears to be a common belief among members of many clubs that their charges are too high ! It is always difficult to increase charges; and the introduction of an expensive piece of equipment designed to effect an economy will invariably produce the cry, "When are the launching charges coming down ?" even though it must be quite clear to the Com­ mittee that it must take some years to amortise the cost even at current rates of flying charges.

29

(v) The method of collection of flying charges (and other charges) requires some consideration. The first essential is, of course, that there shall be a proper record of each flight made; and this is not really the responsibility of the Treasurer although he is of necessity vitally interested. In a small club it may be quite feasible for a ledger account to be kept for each flying" member and for the account for what is due to the club to be sent out at monthly intervals. As the club grows, however, it will be found that this method is likely to impose an intolerable burden on the Treasurer.

The day-to-day recording of flights is dealt with elsewhere,, and it is only necessary to say here that as these records con­ stitute the basis on which the flying charges are made they must be available for inspection by the members, who will wish to- compile their personal log-books from them as well as to verify the correctness of the charges made. The flight records, must also be available for verification of claims for Petrol Rebates.

One of the difficulties inherent in the assessment of flying charges is that in the case of gliders the cost of a flight is seldom ascertainable in advance. After the launch the glider may be back on the ground in three minutes, or it may vanish away for some hours and land many miles away. Thus even a 'mobile field cashier' could not cope with all the possibilities. Nevertheless it should be regarded as a cardinal principle that flights should be paid for as quickly as possible after they have been made. The club has actually spent the money involved in effecting the launch, and therefore a member who does not pay his flying fees promptly is flying at the expense of his fellow members. So far as possible it should be insisted that flying charges should be paid before the member leaves the flying field, and in the By-Laws it should be clearly laid down that it is the member's own responsibility to ascertain the amount of his indebtedness and to pay promptly.

In some clubs it is the practice to allow members until the following wreek-end to pay, after which an account is sent out and an administration charge added. In some clubs, again, the charges for the initial launching are covered by the sale of tickets in advance, leaving only any soaring time beyond, say, the first few minutes to be dealt with by a subsequent cash pay­ ment. In cluhs where there is a Bar it may be convenient for the Treasurer to arrange for flying fees to be handed to the bar-tender in the evening, such payments being checked off later against the record of the day's flying.

(vi) A Bar can be a source of considerable revenue to a gliding club, and it is part of a Treasurer's duties to make sure that the ratio of gross profit is satisfactory. The selling prices may need adjustment from time to time through the Wine Member or Wine Committee; but it is also important for the Treasurer to ensure that there are frequent and periodical checks of Bar Stocks. In a bar of any size a locked cash drawer or Cash Register should be installed.

30

(vii) Except on a hill site where an elastic rope, or 'bunjy', is the sole method of launching, a gliding club buys a consid­ erable quantity of petrol in the course of a year. The Treasurer is therefore, particularly interested in the Rebate of Tax at present allowed by the Government for the purpose of encour­ aging the Sport. It is not necessary further to detail the regula­ tions under which Petrol Tax rebate may be claimed; but although it is the Secretary's responsibility to make out the claim it is the Treasurer's responsibility to ensure that the amount claimed can be substantiated from the books of account, as the Ministry of Aviation has the right to inspect them in verification of a claim submitted. It is also for the Secretary or the Treasurer to remind any private owner groups within the club of the need to put in their claims so that they may be included in the club's claim. A trailer towing log book must be kept as a record of road mileage on retrieves.

(viii) In developing the financial stability of a club one of the important duties of the Treasurer is the creation of 'reserves'. As an example, most clubs charge an Entrance Fee when admit­ ting a new member. Notwithstanding that every year approxi­ mately the same number of new members may join which may or may not equal or surpass those who resign Entrance Fees should not be lumped in with annual revenue. It is better to regard them as a form of 'Capital' and to salt them away immediately they are received by placing them in a Bank Deposit Account or other medium for earning Interest.

It may be true to say that if the money were employed in gliding operations it might earn a higher return than could be obtained from a Bank; it should, however, be obvious that reserves will come in very handily in the event of a rainy season. One of the risks that face a gliding club is that of the principal source of revenue, namely flying fees, being highlv vulnerable to bad weather condition's. As and when the Bank Deposits grow consideration should be given to the purchase of Stocks with the possibility of capital appreciation. Income Tax will, of course, be payable on Dividends received.

(ix) So far we have dealt with what the Treasurer collects; we must now consider the club outgoings. It is wise for the Treasurer to keep a Diary in which to note down the date? -on which certain regular payments, for example Insurance prem­ iums, fall due and their amount. This will not only assist him in preparing an annual budget, but will enable him to take precautions that sufficient funds are ready to meet such payments on the due date. There is nothing like prompt payment to estaL lish a cub's credit.

In the case of a Club having a club-house there will be rent to pay, and local Rates, and bills for Water and possibly Elec­ tricity. Even on an open hill site there may be an annual rental or licence charge. Then there are Insurance premiums. A club must insure against a claim by a member of the public who

31

might suffer damage from the club's operations; the gliders and other equipment should be insured; if there is a club-house there should be insurance against fire covering the building and con­ tents; loss of cash by theft can also be covered by insurance.

The club may develop to such a size that voluntary effort by the members alone is no longer sufficient to get everything done that needs to be done. There may be a paid C.F.I, or Ground Engineer or Bar-tender. If so, it is the Treasurer's responsibility to pay the salaries, weekly or monthly, make the necessary deductions of Tax under 'P.A.Y.E.', account to the Inland Revenue for the deductions, and stamp the Insurance cards. In the case of paid staff it should not be forgotten that another type of Insurance will become necessary, i.e. Employers' Liability.

(x) The method by which the Treasurer makes payments out of club funds also deserves consideration. It. was stated earlier that as a cardinal principle all monies received should be paid into the Bank; therefore the Bank should be the only source from which payments are made by cheque. The Treasurer will have custody of the cheque book, and it is usually the custom that cheques should be signed by the Chairman, or another Committee member, and countersigned by the Treasurer.

In a club where there is a constant flow of revenue in the form of cash it may be a temptation to short-circuit the Bank by making sundry payments in cash. Unless the greatest care is used in issuing and obtaining receipts for all transactions this system is dangerous, and it is better to draw periodical cheques to replenish the Petty Cash account to cover small purchases of Postage Stamps etc., and to pay all other outgoings by cheque. Even National Insurance stamps can, by arrangement with the Post Office, be purchased by cheque.

As mentioned earlier, prompt payment of bills redounds to a club's credit, but in the case of many trading accounts it is worth actual cash, as many firms offer a worth-while cash discount for settlement either monthly or within seven days as the case may be. In order to avail himself of these potential savings of club money the Treasurer must ensure that he can obtain another signature on a cheque if another is required at short notice. In the same way that the Treasurer's time and trouble can 'be saved by Bankers' Orders for payment of members' subscriptions, so on the outgoings side some trouble can be saved if certain periodical fixed charges, such as the annual subscription to the British Gliding Association, are paid by means of a Bankers' Order.

Reference was made earlier to the necessity for periodical checks of the Bar stocks. It is also necessary to maintain an Inventory of club property and equipment, which must be checked at regular intervals and verified and valued before the annual audit of accounts. The valuation should show the original cost and the amount of accrued Depreciation so that the current value can be included in the Balance Sheet.

32

Chapter 8

THE CHIEF FLYING INSTRUCTOR AND THE GROUND ENGINEER

THE CHIEF FLYING INSTRUCTOR

rpHE appointment of Chief Flying Instructor is one which * carries enormous responsibilities. It would not be appro­

priate in this manual to consider his duties on the gliding site in the control of flying and the training and supervision of pilots. So far as possible, indeed, his mind should be kept free from matters of administration, so that he can devote all his energy and attention to flying matters. While his authority on the field must be paramount, there are some duties, such as con­ trol of the launching point, which he may delegate to a Duty Pilot. On the assumption that the Club has become a member, he must, of course, be approved or categorised by the British Gliding Association's Instructors' Panel.

There are, nevertheless, certain administrative duties for which the Chief Flying Instructor ought to hold the respon­ sibility, even though the execution of those duties is better delegated to members of the Club, or other staff if any, working under his supervision. First of all should be mentioned the flight records, which must necessarily be kept accurately and be a complete record of each day's flying. Only from such records can there be a compilation of the statistical returns required annually by the British Gliding Association.

From these daily flight records, also, entries must be made in the aircraft log books, and they also form the basis of com­ putation for the half-yearly claim for petrol rebate. It must not be forgotten that a cross-country flight ending with an away landing will involve the glider being retrieved. If this is done by road, as is most usually the case, then a record of the road mileage and petrol consumed must be kept, and this is normally done by the maintenance of a trailer towing log book, for which a specimen heading is given in the Appendix.

Again, the Chief Flying Instructor's responsibility is to compile the Syllabus of Instruction, and to see that his assistant instructors follow it. There ought to be maintained some form of instructional record to mark the progress of the pupils. While certain of such records may be, and in fact should be, confid­ ential to the C.F.I, and the Flying Committee, there is a strong case to be made out for posting up charts showing the names of the flying members of the club and the standard attained by each pilot. In some clubs pilots are issued with grading cards showing by colour or other means the stage of training they have reached.

It is the C.F.I.s duty to assess the pilots who fly under him not only from the point of view of their ability as pilots but

33

also as potential instructors. Such pilots must be put under training with a view to their eventually obtaining an Instructor's Category. It is for the C.F.I. also to mark out from amongst the members those of a high degree of probity and responsibility, coupled with a knowledge of Rules, for appointment as Offical Observers.

The C.F.I, is, of course, responsible for making reports on accidents to the British Gliding Association, and he will be aware of the legal requirement to notify the local Police and the Ministry of Aviation in the case of a serious accident. He should also ensure that a proper record is kept of all 'incidents' that occur on the airfield, not only those that involve damage to aircraft caused by other than a flying accident but also where persons or vehicles may be concerned, as some of these might be cases where the club could be involved in a third party insurance claim.

It would be appropriate to record in the 'Incident' book the arrival of a glider or powered aircraft from another site. Much gliding is carried on from unlicensed aerodromes, but it is a legal responsibility on the operators of a licensed aerodrome to maintain accurate records in a movements book giving details of aircraft landing away from the aerodrome or of aircraft arriving from another field and landing. Such movements are required to be recorded and the record made available to the officials of the Customs and Excise Department.

If the club runs training courses for 'ab initio' pupils, either for its own members or for temporary members recruited as the result of advertising, it is usual for the booking of vac­ ancies on such courses to be handled by the club manager or Secretary, or by a special Course Secretary. At the commence­ ment of a course, however, it is the duty of the C.F.I., adminis­ tratively, to take charge himself of the 'raw recruits', or to ensure that such course members are put under the wing of a suitable instructor. Thereafter he should give the course whilst in progress adequate supervision to ensure that the members are getting proper value for their money.

In the event of bad weather causing a complete stoppage of actual flying instruction it is for the C.F.I, to see that lectures are delivered on appropriate subjects such as the Theory of Flight, flying techniques, aviation law, meteorology, map reading, and so forth. Such lectures ought in any case to form part of the course curriculum, but a spell of fine weather may bring a strong temptation to neglect this important side of flying training. The invaluable assistance offered by tape-recorded talks and film shows should not be overlooked. Clubs considering the holding of training courses for new members should refer to a special paper on Gliding Courses available from the British Gliding Association.

Again, as the prime responsibility of the C.F.I, is safety in flying, lectures such as those outlined above should form part of the training given to the regular flying members of the

34

club. As the standard of flying advances the lectures will also> become more advanced and will cover cloud flying techniques, aerial navigation, cross-country flying and field landings. Such lectures are good for a secondary reason, that they induce mem­ bers to go on frequenting the club site even in bad or indifferent weather, and they tend greatly to maintain the club spirit at a high level. Other means to this same end are the arrangements made at the discretion of the C.F.I, from time to time for spot- landing competitions or aerobatic competitions.

A further duty of the C.F.I, may be mentioned although it is one which may very well be delegated, namely the regular re­ packing of parachutes. The handling and utilisation of Baro­ graphs is an operational matter rather than administrative, but it must not be forgotten that all the club barographs require to be re-calibrated from time to time, and the C.F.I, may well find a member who will undertake this routine duty for him. Concluding the outline of the C.F.I.s responsibilities may be mentioned that he should see that no glider is launched unless it has had a previous inspection on the day. The actual inspec­ tion may well be classed as a duty for the Ground Engineer.

THE GROUND ENGINEERIn the early life of a Gliding Clu'b it will be more than

fortunate if a qualified Ground Engineer is available from amongst the members. An established club, with a large member­ ship, may well be able to afford to pay for the services of a professional man, but many clubs must rely on skilled work from local resources which has to be subject to final inspection by a qualified ground engineer living possibly some distance away.

Assuming, however, that a skilled and experienced man is available, it is most important to bear in mind that the more thorough the daily inspections are the lower will be the main­ tenance costs of a glider. It is therefore an important duty of the Ground Engineer to instruct members thoroughly in the proper methods of carrying out these daily inspections, and to institute a system to ensure that only competent members are nominated to sign the daily inspection books or sheets. Some clubs have fairly simple books, others have elaborate printed forms to ensure that no part of the aircraft is overlooked. It is true to say that a rigid system of inspection is a vital element in safe flying. It is also true that unless a daily inspection is done conscientiously it is of no value at all. Glider Daily Inspection Books are available from the B.G.A., and the preface contains full instructions on this important subject.

In addition to the supervision of daily inspections it is the ground engineer's responsibility to see that the gliders receive periodical inspections. The intervals may depend on the amount of flying, but preferably each glider should be looked over by the ground engineer once a month. It is also his duty to maintain the aircraft log-books in so far as work is done to the air-frame.

35

The log-books will, therefore, be passed constantly from the C.F.I., or his delegate, who records flying time to the Ground Engineer who records repairs or maintenance work, or the instal­ lation of additional equipment, or the replacement of defective instruments.

The Ground Engineer must likewise be competent to assess the cost of a repair, and it is sound workshop practice to institute right from the start a system of Job cards and Time sheets so that all materials used and the time worked are properly account­ ed for. This is particularly important if the ground engineer undertakes, through the club, work on aircraft other than those forming the club fleet. A club member who owns his own glider might conceivably query the bill rendered to him for a repair job, and in such a case he could be provided with an itemised account. Such works records, in short, form the only basis on which the correct charge for work performed can be calculated.

Much additional information on the work which a Ground Engineer must do and the manner in which to do it may be gleaned from R. Stafford Alien's manual on Glider Maintenance published by the British Gliding Association. Here, however, we are concerned mainly with his administrative responsibilities, one of the most important of which is the preparation each year of a report on each glider in his care together with the recom­ mendation to the British Gliding Association for renewal of the Certificate of Airworthiness. Needless to say, this can only be done after he has thoroughly inspected the glider and carried out any necessary repairs and renewals.

In his workshop the Ground Engineer will hold tools, possibly jigs, and quantities of materials such as plywood, spruce, filling compound, tautening dopes and so forth. On the assumption that he is either an employee or a club member, not a contractor, it will be necessary to check the stocks. It is indeed pretty certain that the Treasurer will be calling for periodical checks, and perhaps occasional spot checks, for tools and materials have a habit of mysteriously vanishing or diminishing in quantity apparently without human aid ! This is no reflection on the Ground Engineer, but it is in his own interests to institute a system whereby the checking of stocks, and in particular the necessary annual stock-taking, can be quickly and methodically carried out so as to interrupt work in progress as little as possible.

If space permits the various materials can be kept under a proper 'bin' system with bin cards to record issues of stocks in conjunction with a stores ledger. With a proper system not only can the quantities be quickly ascertained at the annual stock­ taking but the annual Inventory and Valuation for the Trea­ surer can be compiled with the least amount of trouble and with a high degree of confidence that the figures are correct. Some clubs have a system whereby members may put money in a box to pay for odd bits of fabric, small quantities of dope, use of tools, etc.

Chapter 9

THE ECONOMICS OF GLIDER OPERATION

Section 1 — BudgetingOOMETHING has already been said in an earlier chapter on ^ the subject of flying charges. It is indeed a matter of policy, for decision by the Committee or other governing body of a club, as to whether these should represent the actual cost of launch­ ing a glider into the air including overhead charges, or whether they should be put at an artificial figure lower than the true cost, the difference being covered by sources of revenue other than flying charges.

Much will depend, in arriving at a decision, on the wishes of the general body of members. It is quite possible that in one club the majority of members will prefer to pay a rather high annual subscription, and for this to be used as a subsidy to keep the launching charges low, whereas in another club, with a similar number of members but a different capacity to pay, a small subscription and higher flying fees may be preferred. The committee or the founder group should of course sound out the members before making their decision, and indeed they would be wise to obtain a definite ruling from the members by putting a proposition to the Inaugural or a general meeting.

There is a widely spread impression in gliding circles that to launch a glider into the air by means of s winch or tow car costs but a few shillings. This may have been true some years ago, when gliders were quite inexpensive, winches were largely home-constructed, or converted from balloon winches, and paid staff Instructors were almost unheard of. Even to-day, if a club is prepared to operate in a very small way, and has enough skilled members who are prepared to give their services, and their skill, the launching costs can be kept fairly low; but in most cases it has been found that the temptation to expand is irresistible, and the result is bound to be higher costs.

To explain why gliding is not a cheap sport it may be said that the high costs result from the multitude of ancillary equip­ ment which is required to get a glider into the air on a club use footing. Even the most elementary of clubs must have a place to house the aircraft when it is not flying, a place where members can take shelter when a rainstorm passes over, a means of launching the glider, and so forth. All these things, as well as the glider itself, cost money, and this money must be found from some source. It may be more than all the members col­ lectively can afford, and some of the possible methods of raising Capital have been discussed in an earlier chapter.

Sound finance is essential if a club is to continue in being,

37

and the basis of sound finance is carefully planned budgeting in order to achieve a surplus. Capital may be borrowed in the first instance from supporters of the club, but the budget must provide for its repayment and eventual replacement by Capital created out of profits. Quite obviously the wealthy supporters are not going to provide the Capital and also pay for all the running expenses, so these, plus the profit, must be found by the members.

It may be useful to consider an imaginary club which has. just come into being and to try to devise a budget for its first year's operation. Numerous assumptions will have to be made, the first being that sufficient Capital has been offered to equip the club adequately, and that the membership at the beginning is fifty or sixty flying members and twenty-five non-flying members. The club is assumed to operate only at week-ends, i.e., on 70 days out of the possible 109 (including Bank Holidays). It is operated entirely without paid staff, doing 'ab initio' training with a two-seater from which pupils will progress onto one of two medium performance training gliders, finally convert­ ing to an 'Olympia'. The site is a flat area of grass land with good approaches rented from a friendly farmer. He has included in the very low rent of £100 p.a. the use of a large barn, and has permitted a small timber hut to be erected for use as a club-house.

The budget expenditure, then, for the first year, will include Rent of Site, Rates on Barn-hangar and Club-house, Fire Insur­ ance on buildings, Lighting and Heating. There will also be Interest on Capital borrowed, 1st instalment of repayment of the loan, Insurance of Aircraft and other equipment, Third Party Insurance, Petrol, Oil and Lubricants, allowance for maintenance including renewal of the Certificates of Airworth­ iness, allowance for replacement of winch cables, minor repairs, breakages, loss of tools, etc. The Depreciation of the Capital assests, i.e. the aircraft, the trailer for the "Olympia', the winch and cable-retrieving car, the clubhouse hut and other equip­ ment must be included. In addition there will be some secre­ tarial and administrative expenses, and there should be a reserve for contingencies.

To meet these expenses the members must produce between them an adequate first year income under the following headings: Entrance Fees, Subscriptions, Grazing Rights, Bar Profits, and profits from dances or raffles. It requires no more than a cursory glance at this brief list to realise that as this hypothetical club is presumed to be a gliding club, not a drinking club, the income is going to depend largely on the flying charges. If there are too many wet week-ends when flying is impossible then the club revenue is going to be seriously reduced. The relation­ ship between the annual subscription and the rates charged for flying thus becomes of very great importance.

If now some conjectural figures are worked out for the budget of this hypothetical club we shall be able to see what

38

amount of revenue must be produced, and can suggest a possible proportion as between subscriptions and flying charges. Thus:

BUDGETED EXPENDITURE£

Annual Rent of Site, including the Barn ... ... 100Local Rates on Barn, at 10/- in the £, estimated rate­

able value £10 ... ... ... ... ... ... 5Rates on timber clubhouse ... ... ... say 7Fire Insurance on buildings ... ... ... say 8Lighting and Heating of clubhouse and part of barn

used as workshop ... ... ... ... say 13Interest on Capital advanced for purchase of club­

house, aircraft and other equipment, assuming 80 per cent of the full purchase price is to be ob­ tained by loan, the balance being subscribed by the members. The Capital assets to comprise:

£ One two-seater trainer, secondhand, with

C. of A. ... ... ... ... ... 700Two solo training gliders, second-hand,

with C. of A., each £250 ... ... 500'Olympia' and Trailer, complete with In­ struments, Barograph, Parachute, and current C. of A. ... ... ... 900

Timber Hut for Clubhouse ... ... 200Winch at £350 and Car for Cable-retriev­

ing at £150 ... ... ... ... 500Clubhouse Furniture and equipment for

Bar ... ... ... ... ... 300Benches, Tools, etc., for workshop ... 100

Purchase Price of TOTAL ASSESTS £3,200

Assume approx. 80 per cent Loan, say £2,600, thenfirst year's Interest will be ... ... say 100

First Instalment of repayment of Loan, assuming this to be spread over 10 years, 10 per cent of £2,600 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 260

Aircraft Insurances (comprehensive), at 10 per centof purchase price ... ... ... 210

Insurances for Public Liability, etc., ... ... say 50[Petrol, assuming the high average of 70 flying days

and 50 launches per day, and consuming 1 gallon for 31 launches, amounts to 1,000 gallons, the cost of which, after allowing for Petrol Tax Rebate is 3s. per gallon ... ... ... ... ... ... 150

Lubricating Oils and Grease ... ... ... say 20Renewals of Winch Cable ... ... ... say 100Maintenance of Aircraft, including renewal of C. of

A., assuming all three gliders to be less than 10 years old ... ... ... ... ... say 150

Winch and Car Spares and Maintenance ... say 50 Printing and Stationery, Secretarial and admin­

istrative costs, including subscription to British Gliding Association ... ... ... ... say 45

Reserve for Contingencies ... ... ... say 100

1,368 Add, for Depreciation of Capital Assets, say

10 per cent of Cost ... ... ... ... 320

£1,688

On the revenue side we shall have to make several assump­ tions which will be more or less intelligent guess-work, and the case is taken of the situation resulting from setting the annual subscription at a low figure. Thus: —

BUDGETED REVENUE£

Grazing or grass-cutting rights, nominal, as theOwner-Farmer may retain them ... ... say 5

Estimated Profit from holding, say two dances, and organising, say two raffles, probably possible only in the first year ... ... ... ... say 60

Bar Profits from members and their guests ... say 100Entrance Fees, assuming 2 guineas for each of 60

Flying members and 10s. 6d. for each of 25 Associates ... ... ••• ... ••• ••• 139

Subscriptions, assuming 4 guineas for each of 60 Flying members and 1 guinea for each of 25 Associates ... ••• ... ••• ••• ... 278

58-2

Therefore the amount required to be produced from the 3,500 launches and other flying charges, in order to balance the Budgeted Expenditure, with­ out surplus ... ... ... ••• ... ... 1,106

£1,688

40

It can be seen that to provide this figure of £1,106 each launch must produce roughly 6s. 4d., this amount being made up of the charge for launching and the charge for soaring time. Fees for soaring are quite commonly around 15s. per hour, at any rate for the first three hours, so that to arrive at the figure for the launching charge it is first necessary to make an estimate of the amount of revenue which might be derived from soaring time.

In order to do this it is necessary to dissect the 3,500 launches and to try to distribute them among the units of the fleet of gliders. Dealing first with the 'Olympia', a great deal will, of course, depend on the skill of the members who fly it, but as an average it may be assumed that an 'Olympia' would produce 30 minutes of flying time for every winch launch. It will, how­ ever, probably not be flown on every one of the 70 flying days we have postulated, and some of the days on which it does fly may not be very good soaring days. If, therefore, it is assumed that it is flown on 50 days, and has 4 launches on each of those days, this would produce 100 hours' flying time.

In some clubs there is a 'free time" allowance included in the charge for launching, which may be as much as 10 minutes. In such a case only 66 hours out of the 100 would produce ad­ ditional revenue. Other clubs charge on a time basis from time of take-off in addition to the launch charge, and it is assumed that our hypothetical club is working to this rule. At 15s. per hour, then, the 'Olympia' will produce £75 for soaring fees.

The solo training gliders, being gliders flown mostly by pilots of little experience, would achieve a much smaller contribution to the soaring fees. If it is assumed that they average 10 minutes per flight, and are between them responsible for 1,600 launches, then at 15s. per hour, which is 3d. per minute, they will produce £200.

As for the two-seater, it is assumed that this will make up the balance of the launching by doing 1,700 flights. In a year of 70 days' flying this is some 24 launches a day, and is not an impossible figure even if only one Instructor is available. It will, however, not do a great deal of soaring over a flat site, because of its fairly high rate of sink, and it is unlikely that its average time per launch will exceed 8 minutes, which is an income of 2s. per launch, or an income from flight fees of £170.

Of the £1,106 required to balance our Budget we have now arrived at an estimated revenue from flying or soaring fees of £445, leaving £661 to be found from actual charges for launching the gliders into the air. This works out at 3s. 9id. per launch, and there might be a temptation to accept this situation and set the launch fee at 4s. in the hope of making a surplus from better soaring revenue. This would be dangerous, for the follow­ ing reasons. First, the expected Income from the Bar, and the profits from Dances and Raffles, may not quite reach the Budget

41

estimate. Then again, it has been assumed that even the two- seater charges are based on a launch charge plus flying time from take-off. This means that a pupil on a normal training flight of 5 minutes from take-off to landing will be required to pay 5s. 3d., and if he has three flights, or perhaps four, in the day, one of which might be a soaring flight, he will be spending around £1 which he may find too much for him.

On the other hand, of course, it may well be that the clu'b members will include some very adept pilots, and that the "Olympia' will do much better than the 30 minutes average, in which case the soaring revenue from this aircraft will indeed be higher.

Again, on the Revenue side, no account has been taken of the possibility of a mishap to one of the solo training gliders, or•even the two-seater, which would seriously affect the figures; while on the Expenditure side something has to be said about the item of Depreciation of Capital Assets, which was taken at 10 per cent. Depreciation at 10 per cent means that at the end of 10 years the value of the gliders and other assets in the Balance Sheet could be shown as completely written off, although for obvious reasons a nominal value would be stated against them.

It must not be overlooked, however, that Depreciation is not of itself a sufficient charge against revenue to ensure the long-term stability of the club from the point of view of the flying equipment. It has to be faced that during the 10 years•during which the fleet is being depreciated by 10 per cent per annum the prices of gliders will probably be rising. Therefore, to replace an aircraft at the end of the 10 years will cost more than the total amount of the Depreciation. Depreciation is thus merely a means of devaluation to cover the original cost of a glider, and when the time comes to replace it with something new a larger sum of money will have to be found.

For this reason, therefore, it is only prudent to take early steps to start an Aircraft Replacement Reserve, and to add to it each year some reasonable sum out of the surplus revenue. In addition to an Aircraft replacement reserve it is also wise to «et aside some of the surplus in another Reserve to cover the eventual cost of replacing mechanical equipment such as the Winch, or Tow-car, or the cable-retrieving car. Keeping club equipment up to date is a means of ensuring a good revenue earning capacity. Although many gliding clubs manage to carry on from year to year with equipment which can only be described as 'decrepit', it should not be forgotten that delays due to mechanical breakdown not only cost a club money by way of repair charges, but that there is also a loss of revenue from flying fees while the launching comes to a standstill.

The possibility of loss of revenue through accidental damage to the aircraft has already been mentioned. The two-seater, being the training glider, would almost always be flown with an Instructor as 1st pilot, and the likelihood of accident is there­ fore greatly reduced. If, however, the two-seater were to be put42

out of action by an untoward happening there would be not only serious interruption to the club's training programme, but also it would be impossible to give passenger flights Jo potential new members. Similarly, if one of the two solo training gliders were damaged the Budget estimate of 1,600 launches for the two would hardly be achieved.

From these considerations it will be realised that even at a figure of 4s. 6d. per launch there would be a very marginal surplus of revenue over expenditure, amounting to less than £100; and this points to the necessity of planning the finances of a club very carefully in advance. In the case of the imaginary club under examination it would probably be wise to set the annual subscription at a somewhat higher and more realistic figure, in order to be sure of part of the revenue covering the fixed charges, rather than to rely on the uncertain flying fees.

It is hardly necessary to remind the reader that the figures taken in the Budget of Revenue and Expenditure in this Chapter are all entirely fictitious. They can be regarded only as a general example of the manner of calculating likely revenue and expenditure on a flat site, and serve as an example of the necess­ ity of budgeting for a surplus. There are many factors which would, if varied, produce an entirely different picture.

For instance, if there were to be no income from Dances and Raffles, and if, in addition, there were to be no Bar, then the revenue from subscriptions and flying fees would have to be correspondingly increased. Again, the four gliders in the hypo­ thetical fleet have all been shown at second-hand prices. If, how­ ever, the club were to be equipped with new aircraft the Capital required to purchase them would have to be increased, and the items of Insurance, Interest and Repayment would also be very much higher.

The figure of launches achieved, on which the calculations have been based, 3,500 in the year of 70 days, is a target which is unlikely to be easily surpassed in a small club, even if the weather is better than expectation and if there are no serious breakdowns of equipment or damage to the gliders. Indeed, with only 60 flying members it might be considered unlikely that the average of launches per member would be as high as nearly 60 in the year.

On the other hand, in the case of a hill site it is not so important to try and achieve a high average of yearly launches per flying member. In ridge soaring conditions the hours flown are likely to be much higher in relation to the actual launches, and a similar total of club revenue from flying charges will be obtained by having quite a moderate fee for the actual launch and a graduated scale of payment for time flown. With the number of hours flown going up it may be found that some members will be content with fewer launches in a season, and there would then be some reduction in the launching costs.

Before leaving the subject of Budgeting mention may be made again of Loan Capital. In IQfil a new Fund of £100,000 was created

43

by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors, in association with Shell Mex and B.P. Ltd., to replace the Kemsley Flying Trust and to make long-term loans at low interest rates to flying and gliding clubs for the purchase of aircraft and essential equipment. The terms on which such loans are made differ little from those formerly offered by the Kemsley Flying Trust, and our hypo­ thetical Club would probably have been granted assistance on a two-stage scheme tending to make the club prove itself worthy of additional help as it developed.

Agreement in principle could be assumed for the following Capital Budget: —

1st Year £ Two-seater Trainer, second-hand, or fabricated

say 650Solo training glider, ... ... ... ... say 175Winch or Motor Tow-car and Retrieving Vehicle

say 250Other essential equipment ... ... ... say 50

£1,125

Capital Advance, say 80 per cent on repayment terms over 6 to 7 years with Interest at 2i per cent on outstanding sums.

2nd YearIntermediary Sailplane or 'Olympia', approved for

addition to club fleet if experience warrants it and utilisation reasonably assured ... say £900

Capital Advance, 75 to 80 per cent on repayment terms over 6 years with Interest at 2* per cent on outstanding sums.

For such a Capital Loan structure the requirement would be a membership of 50 paying an Entrance Fee of £3 3s. Od. and an annual subscription of £7 7s. Od. An annual rate of launching of 2,500 is assumed. If the actual cost of launching can be kept down to 2s. and the launching fee is set at 4s. 6d. the surplus revenue (including subscriptions) may be expected to meet Rent, Insurances and standing charges and maintenance and show a credit balance at the end of the year. In such a club it would not be wise to count on very much from soaring revenue in its early life. With only a two-seater and one solo trainer in the first year soaring income would probably be negligible; while even in the second year it might not amount to very much because only a few members would have become qualified to fly the more advanced solo aircraft.

44

Section 2 — Costing

Budgeting is, as has been explained, an attempt to assess the revenue and expenditure in advance of the coming year's operations. When the year is ended it becomes possible to look back and to check actual figures and compare them with the budget estimate. This is known as 'costing', in any case where the cost of a particular item of expenditure differs widely from the estimate, or where there is found to be either a large defic­ iency of revenue, or — more happily — an unexpectedly large surplus, an explanation must be sought. This is not only so that fhe members may be kept fully informed but also to provide a basis for more accurate budgeting for the subsequent year.

Costing is also very necessary in order to ascertain whether a particular item of equipment is 'earning its keep'. In the hypothetical club which we have been considering there could well be a question in the minds of some members as to whether the 'Olympia' was earning sufficient revenue to justify its pur­ chase. Such a glider, being an advanced soaring type, would obviously be flown principally by the Instructors and the small minority of pilots who had been converted on to it. Indeed, one reason in the minds of the founder group in deciding to pur­ chase such a glider might well have been to have a 'bait' to encourage pupils to advance, and also to provide a 'sop' for hard- worked Instructors. This is a perfectly valid reason, and may be considered to warrant a continuance of the policy even if the glider is not actually showing a profit but a small loss.

It is, therefore, necessary to ascertain just what each of the gliders is producing in the way of flying fees, including soar­ ing charges, and what is the expenditure on each. As the 'Olympia' is the one glider in the fleet which might be said to be 'controversial' this case is taken, and the corresponding figures for the other gliders can be omitted here.

First, the Revenue. It was assumed that it had been launched in all 200 times, which at 5s. per launch would produce £50 in launching charges. Also it was assumed that the total flying time was 100 hours; but before adding £75 in respect of this, at 15s. per hour, it might be necessary to deduct 200 times 10 minutes, if such a period of 'free' gliding time wrere included in the launching charge. The nett figure for soaring time in such a case becomes approximately 67 hours, and the extra revenue derived therefrom would be only £50.

On the assumption that flying time is paid for from take-off the total earnings of the 'Olympia' would be £125. This is not very much, but, as has already been said, the 'Olympia' in the hands of skilled pilots may possibly average a full hour per launch even from winch launches. On the other hand there are the occasional short test flights, and abortive attempts at soaring, which bring the average down.

45

Now what are the costs of keeping this glider ? It was assumed that its first cost, with Trailer, and with instruments, ready to fly, was £900. At present-day prices, allowing also for a parachute and barograph, this could only be a second-hand glider, but one which had not perhaps seen very much use. The Interest at 3 per cent, and the year's instalment of repay­ ment of Capital, spread over 10 years, have been taken simply for working this exercise; the terms are highly generous, and are reminiscent of the earlier days of the Kemsley Flying Trust ! The amount the club must pay out under this heading is therefore £117.

As this glider has been purchased with money from an out­ side source, and as it does in fact represent one of the assets of the club securing the loan, it should of course be fully and comprehensively insured, at least up to the actual cost, if not up to the replacement value. We must be realistic about this. Insurance rates have been going up considerably over the past few years, and it is probable that a comprehensive Policy will cost about 10 per cent. Thus the club must pay £90 under this heading. Already it can be seen that the glider is not earning its keep — but there is more expenditure to come. It has not yet taken the air !

The direct costs of launching by winch comprise the petrol and oil consumed by the winch and cable-retrieving car, wear and tear on cable, and other small running costs. For the 200 launches this would be about £9 for petrol only, say £12 in all. Then there are overhead charges, of which the 'Olympia' should bear a fair proportion, say £30; and at the end of the year there will be the cost of the renewal of the Certificate of Airworthiness. As it is not a new aircraft this might also cost £30, which figure may, for ease of calculation, be taken to include any small charges for maintenance during the 100 hours of flying time.

Finally, at the end of the year the glider will be worth a little less than at the beginning; and, as already explained, a sum of £90 should be added for Depreciation. Altogether, it can be .seen that the total cost of utilising this glider for the whole year would amount to approximately £370. On the other hand, just as it was deemed fair that this glider should bear some proportion of the general overheads, so it is quite reasonable that on the revenue side a proportion of the other sources of revenue, sub­ scriptions, bar profits, etc., should be attributed to it. As the value of the 'Olympia' could be said to be about one-quarter of the revenue-earning assets of the club then a sum of, say, £100 could be added to the direct revenue of £125, leaving the nett deficiency on operation of this glider at a figure of about £140.

It will be seen that on the basis of 200 launches this means that the profits earned by the other gliders are really subsid­ ising the 'Olympia' to the tune of 14s. per launch. This, however, may well be acceptable in the eyes of the founder group, or Committee, for the reasons of 'policy' already given, and if

46

properly explained to the members may well be endorsed by them. It is also noteworthy that if the 'Olympia' could have flown 200 hours in the season, instead of only 100 hours, for the same number of launches, then at 15s. per hour the nett deficiency of £140 would be reduced by £75 to only £65; which would involve a 'subsidy' of 6s. 6d. per launch out of earnings from other gliders. Such a figure of 200 hours flown in a season is by no means unknown in actual practice, although an average of one hour per launch may well be thought to be rather on the high side.

It is unnecessary to go further in analysing the costs of glider operation. Examination of the figures will show that the two-seater has by far the best record of revenue surplus over expenditure by reason of its far higher total number of launches. This demonstrates again the principle stated in the opening Chapter, that in order to achieve financial stability every moment of suitable flying time must be utilised for flying. It further illustrates how very necessary it is for a club which is in process of formation to make a most careful study of all the variable and interdependent factors which must be taken into account in preparing the first year's Budget.

47

Appendix

SPECIMEN FORMS AND HEADINGS FOR CLUB RECORDS

1. Typical Application Form for Club Membership, embodying Form of Indemnity and Declaration of Medical Fitness.

1, ................................................ (full name in block letters)

of ......................................................................... (address)

.........age (if under 21 years) ..............................(occupation)

........................(Nationality) hereby apply to be admitted as a

..................(class of membership') member of the..................Gliding Club and agree to be bound by the Rules and Bye-laws and Gliding Regulations of the Club. I exonerate the said Club and its servants and agents from all liability which may arise in respect of any loss or damage to my property or in respect of personal injury (fatal or otherwise) which I may suffer while I am a member of the Club and I undertake to make no claim against the Club or its members servants or agents notwith­ standing that such loss or damage or injury was caused or occasioned directly or indirectly by the act neglect or default of the Club or its members servants or agents. T hereby declare that I do not suffer from epilepsy or from sudden attacks of fainting or giddiness or from any other disability mental or physical which would be likely to result in the flying of a glider by me being a source of danger to myself or others and I under­ stand that it is my responsibility to inform the Club of any change occurring which would affect this declaration of physical fitness.

I understand that an interval of at least 48 hours must occur between my nomination and admission as a member.

NOTE. — If the applicant is under 21 years of age a similar indemnity must be signed by the Parent or Guardian. The short­ est period for which membership may be granted is 30 days.

2. Declaration of Goal.Date.............................. Aircraft..........................................

I declare as my goal for to-day's flight..............................

Time of declaration (which must precede take-off time)............

Signature of Pilot .................. Signature of Observer...............NOTE:—Subsequent declarations cancel previous ones of

the same day. For triangle or "dog-leg" flights the turning points moist be declared.

48

3. Landing Certificate.

This is to certify that Glider No......................... flown by

.................................landed at (full postal address')...............

................................. on..................... the........................

of.................................... at..................hours.

Signed.................................... Signed.................................

Address.................................. Address...............................

4. Flight Record Sheet.

Weekday............... Date.............. Wind.............. Page No.........

. . , Method Take- Land- _Serial pjlot 1 pj | ot 2 Glider of off ing Dura- Cnarge Remarks

No - Launch Time Time tlon_______

H-in. li-in. t-in. 1-in. 1-in. 1-in. 1-in. 1-in. If-in.

5. Flight Payment Form.

Name................................................... Date..

Serial No. Glider Method of Dfur**~to " Charge on Log Launch of Flight

1-in. 1-in. 1-in. 1-in.

|i

If landed away, landing place...................

Air Miles.............................. Road Miles.

Other Charges (Dormitory Fees, etc.)..........

Total enclosed..........

6. Trailer Towing Log-Book.

Date

l-in.

Glider

l-in.

Pilot

l-in.

Vehicle

f-in.

Driver

l-in.

Journey

ll-in.

Road Miles

*-in.

Air Miles

i-in.

7. Incident Book.

Date

i-in.

Nature of Incident

2-in.

Names of Persons Involved

2-in.

Cost

f-in.

Remarks

H-in.

8. Workshop Time Sheet.

Name. ......................................... Week-ending. ..............

Job No.

l-in.

Glider

H-in.

Work Done

3-in.

Day Date or

l-in.

Hours

l-in.

Remarks

21-in.

NOTE: The measurements shown in the columns represent widths which may be varied as required.

9. Job Card.

Glider.... .................... B.G.A. No............. Job No

Work Required

Materials

Timber —

Fabric

Paints —

Fittings -

Special

Used Description - Spruce

Plywood

Misc.

Filler

U/coat

Finish

Aerolite

SandpaperMasking Tape

Polishes

- Cables

Bolts

Nuts

Pins

Skids

Misc.

Quantity Price

Total

51

The following arc available from

THE BRITISH GLIDING ASSOCIATION 19 Park Lane, London, W.I

BOOKS 'ELEMENTARYBlanchard.

GLIDING'. The perfect textbook — Paul

KIT

CARDS

'FLYING TRAINING IN GLIDERS'. New edition of the Instruc­ tors Manual — A. and L. Welch.'GLIDER MAINTENANCE MANUAL' by R. C. Stafford Alien. 'ON BEING A BIRD'. An enthralling book by Philip Wills.'COME GLIDING WITH ME'. A "must" for the young — Ann Welch.'WEATHER 1 . On meteorology — R. S. Scorer.'PLAYGROUND IN THE SKY'. Pleasant book about a glider pilot's experiences by Bill Gotch.'TACKLE GLIDING THIS WAY'. Highly recommended for all pupils from pre-solo to post-Diamond C. by John Simpson.'CLOUD STUDY'. A pictorial guide to meteorology by Ludlam and Scorer.'CLOUD READING'. Forecasting the weather by A. C. Douglas.'FURTHER OUTLOOK'. On Meteorology — F. H. Ludlam and R. S. Scorer.'SOARING PILOT'. Soaring the modern Glider — A. and L. Welch and F. Irving.'WHERE NO BIRDS FLY'. At last ! A new book by Philip Wills.'GLIDING'. A handbook on gliding by the most experienced instructor — Derek Piggott.'METEOROLOGY FOR GLIDER PILOTS'. Supersedes all pre­ vious publications on the meteorology of soaring flight. By Wally Wallington who is meteorologist to the British Inter­ national Team.'GO GLIDING'. A book full of interest both to the initiated and the complete beginner with 114 photographs—Ann Welch and Gabor Denes.'BEAUTY OF GLIDING'. A beautifully produced book, con­ taining the finest gliding pictures ever taken — Philip Wills.THE EYE OF THE WIND'. An autobiography by Peter Scott.

TIES, SCARVES AND 'CHOKER' SCARVES. Scarves are either wool or silk lined. The above are all terylene mixture, navy blue with diagonal silver stripes and gliders. Ties are also supplied in maroon and green. Pure terylene ties are black and gold or blue and silver.BLAZER BADGES. Worked in silk, 3 blue gulls on pale blue with silver wreath.CAR OR BICYCLE BADGES. Enamel and chrome 3 blue gulls on pale blue with a silver wreath.B.C.A. DIARY. Contains current records, competition numbers and lots of useful information.

POSTCARDS. (7 types) Tutor, Sedbergh (T-21b), T-42 Eagle, Skylark 2 (two types), Skylark 3 and Olympia.

MAGAZINE 'SAILPLANE AND GLIDING'.SAILPLANE AND GLIDING BINDER. Red leather cloth to take 12 issues.

Any donation or spare change would be gratefully accepted for the ALEX ORDE FUND for young soaring pilots. This fund is to help pilots under the age of 28, with retrieving costs if the flight is over 100 miles.

THE

BRITISH AVIATIONINSURANCE COMPANY LTD.

The oldest and largest office

specializing in Civil Aviation

HEAD OFFICE:

34 LIME STREET, LONDON, E.C.3Telephone: Mansion House'0444 (6 lines)

Branch Offices

Ed mon tonImperial Bank Building

Jasper Avenue

Tel.: GArden 4-2247

& GArden 4-1808

Montreal620 Cathcart Street,

Montreal 2.

Telephone:

UNiversity 1-7286

Toronto44 Eglinton Ave,

West

Tel.: Hudson 5-4461

Johannesburg Calcutta401 Prudential

Assurance Building,

94 Main Street,

Tel.: 33.3048

Thapar House,

25 Brabourne Road,

Calcutta 1

Tel.: 22-2157

Brussels99 Rue de la Loi. Telephone:

12.00.05

JORDAN & SONS LIMITEDCompany Registration Agents

Printers and Publishers

116 Chancery Lane, London W.C.2OFFER

A COMPLETE REGISTRATION SERVICEto members of

THE BRITISH GLIDING ASSOCIATION

Experienced Staff will prepare Memorandum and Articles of Association applicable to Gliding Clubs, print copies for Regis­ tration, attend at the Registries, lodge documents and obtain the Certificate of Incorporation. Supply the necessary Seal, Certificates, Register of Members, etc., and all other statutory requirements.

JORDAN & SONS LIMITEDHave rapid facilities for supplying Letter Headings, Rubber Stamps, Account Books, Rules for Clubs, and any other type of printing and stationery.A complete range of record books and forms, etc., in accordance with the Licensing Acts are in our stock range.

PUBLICATIONSReminders for Club Secretaries and Treasurers. A comprehensive guide to the duties of committees and officers, management of meetings, and conduct of club licensed premises. Club Accounts. This publication will help to raise the standard of club book-keeping.

by C. J. G. LEWIS, B.A., LL.B. 7s. 6d. each by post 8s. 6d. each

A complete catalogue of publications will be forwarded uponapplication.